A Mexican teen who volunteers for an anti-bias youth group was beaten and robbed by four or five black men, just days after the NYPD beefed up patrols to halt a rash of hate crimes in the area, cops said yesterday.
The 18-year-old victim was returning from Manhattan, where he works as a busboy, when the thugs approached him near Castleton Avenue and Simonson Place in Port Richmond at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
One thug began punching him while shouting anti-Mexican slurs, as another man stole $10, cops said.
The teen, who is entering his senior year in high school, suffered cuts and bruises to his face.
“It’s so ironic that this happened to someone who has been a youth leader in the anti-violence movement,” said the Rev. Terry Troia, who works with the teen in the anti-bias group.
The victim, whose name was not released, has been volunteering with the group for five years.
“He’s a good kid. He’s not involved in anything bad. He’s very dedicated to his family,” Troia said.
“All he does is work and go to school.”
The attack was the 11th reported bias incident in the neighborhood since April.
Last week, the NYPD said it was adding patrol cops to the area, and the Mexican Consulate announced it would assign a representative to the borough to assist victims of bias attacks.