Police are investigating the beating of a Coney Island deli owner as a hate crime, according to an update on the attack issued by the NYPD.
A group of men used a racial slur and then attacked Jamal Sawaid, 58, behind the counter of his shop, Asiri Convenience Store, on Mermaid Avenue on Saturday afternoon. Surveillance video from the store shows the suspects then lunging at Sawaid over the counter, as he raises his hands in an attempt to defend himself.
“He was inside, a gentleman walked in and said, ‘Where’s the sand n*****?’” said Marie Shahzada, Sawaid’s wife. “He thought it was a joke and he said ‘I’m here.’”
One of the attackers climbs onto the bodega counter and begins hitting Sawaid with a metal pipe, as two others from the group grab items from the counter and throw them into the fray. When Sawaid is finally able to emerge, one of the men blocks his exit, the video shows.
The beating left Sawaid bruised and bloodied. He was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, where he received staples in his head and stitches to close his lip, which had been ripped open.
“They just brutalized him,” Shahzada said.
Sawaid, originally from Yemen, has been in the U.S. for 28 years. He has run businesses from that location on Mermaid Avenue since 2000, operating a car service before converting it to a deli and smoke shop in 2013.
Shahzada said her husband has always been dedicated to helping his community. When the pharmacy next door was robbed at gunpoint, Sawaid accompanied the owner to the precinct, helping out as much as he could. When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its worst, Sawaid distributed coats and hot meals to his neighbors, his wife said. In 2021, he received a citation from then-Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, recognizing him as one of Brooklyn’s “COVID Heroes.” Last year, Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus honored him as part of a community service award ceremony.
The men involved in the attack are not local residents, Shahzada said.
“These are not people from the community, that’s what we know,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.
According to police, the suspects fled the scene in a white pickup truck.
New surveillance footage released by police late Monday night shows four middle-aged white men running down a sidewalk near the scene of the attack. Police have yet to identify their names and asked the public’s help in providing information.
A photo of Jamal Sawaid next to a commendation he received from former Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Sawaid, who is still dealing with pain and swelling, planned to go back to work on Tuesday, his wife said.
“He loves his community. We as a family asked him to close down because it’s been more violent now than ever. Every day there’s an incident, not only with Jamal,” Shahzada said. “He says he doesn’t want to.”
