The Brooklyn Middle Eastern male bullying case involving a Chinese student from Bensonhurst 201 has once again appeared in court on February 27. The main defendant in the case, Hassan Saab, has rejected a plea agreement with the prosecution for a three-year imprisonment and instead insisted on seeking probation. He has opted for a trial by judge, and the trial is expected to officially begin next Wednesday, March 5.
The incident took place on September 28, 2023 when Brian, a Chinese student from Bensonhurst 201, got into a conflict with two Middle Eastern classmates while playing basketball off-campus. The Middle Eastern brothers, feeling rejected from joining the game, forcefully took the ball and got into a physical altercation with Brian. Subsequently, they contacted their family, and a burly uncle named Saab arrived at the scene and assaulted Brian, resulting in him being injured and sent to the hospital.
Two days later, on September 30, Saab and the parents of the Middle Eastern brothers, a total of four people, armed with iron rods and baseball bats, went door to door looking for Brian’s residence. They eventually broke into Brian’s home and a fierce conflict broke out. Mr. Lei, Brian’s father, defended his family with a shovel but was severely beaten by Saab and others, resulting in head injuries and two broken fingers. After police intervention, both Saab and Mr. Lei were arrested and faced multiple charges. However, after strong protests from the Chinese community and investigations by the prosecution, Mr. Lei’s charges were eventually dropped.
Saab is facing charges of “assault with a weapon with intent to cause harm,” “endangering the welfare of a child,” and several other charges, with a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison if convicted. The prosecution had initially proposed a plea agreement of three years, but Saab refused to accept it.
A spokesperson for the Lei family and a member of the Chinatown community, Chen Jialing, stated, “Saab still shows no remorse and claims he did nothing wrong. The court will be the final arbiter.” He emphasized, “Saab should be sent to prison. He has shown no signs of remorse, and it was his nephew who initiated the incident. The school surveillance video recorded the entire bullying process.”
In the court system, the defendant has the right to choose between a jury trial or a bench trial. Saab has chosen a bench trial, where the judge, not a jury, determines the guilt.
Saab and his defense lawyer believe that the judge may be more sympathetic towards him, leading to his rejection of the three-year imprisonment plea agreement and his decision to take his chances at trial. Judge Hect, who presided over the case, had previously questioned the prosecution, “Why should Saab be sentenced to imprisonment when he has no prior violent offenses?” Additionally, the judge decided not to admit evidence of Saab’s use of racial discrimination speech, citing unclear audio quality in the surveillance video conversations.
Regarding this situation, Chen Jialing stated, “If a jury trial is chosen, the likelihood of Saab being convicted after jurors watch the entire bullying process in the surveillance video would be higher.” He stressed that the attack on 13-year-old Brian by Saab is absolutely unacceptable. “But if a bench trial is chosen, the ruling may lean towards leniency. I hope he will be sentenced to at least two to three years in prison and be placed on five years of probation upon release.”
The trial of this case is set to begin at 9:00 AM on March 5 (next Wednesday) in the 15th courtroom at 320 Jay Street in Brooklyn. Chen Jialing estimates that a guilty or not guilty verdict may be reached within a day, followed by awaiting the sentencing report to determine the prison term. He urges supporters from the Chinese community to attend and show the judge the importance of this case to the community, ensuring that justice is served.