Off-duty cop indicted for Islamophobic hate crime
BY BEN BRACHFELD
An NYPD offi cer is facing
hate-crime charges for a road
rage incident that culminated
in his hurling Islamophobic
slurs at a Muslim driver in
Kensington, after which he
allegedly spat on, punched,
and called 911 on his victim
claiming that he, in fact, had
started the altercation.
Riggs Kwong, 50, is facing
a rash of criminal hate crime
charges, among others, in
Brooklyn Supreme Court, for
the incident that took place
while off-duty from his position
at the 70th precinct on
Jan. 16.
Kwong allegedly beat
32-year-old Abdul Motalab until
he was unconscious, and
then called 911 to falsely report
that Motalab had been the
one to throw the fi rst punch.
“This defendant is charged
with brutally assaulting a
man until he lost consciousness
while using anti-Muslim
slurs following a traffi c
altercation,” Brooklyn DA
Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.
“We have no tolerance
for hate-motivated violence
in Brooklyn, and the alleged
conduct is especially reprehensible
COURIER L 6 IFE, FEBRUARY 4-10, 2022
because the defendant
is a law enforcement offi
cer. The prosecution of hate
crimes is a priority for my offi
ce, and we will vigorously
seek accountability and justice
in this case.”
The incident began, according
to the DA’s offi ce, after
Motalab blocked Kwong
while both were driving
along Church Avenue. Motalab,
who was later charged
with drunk driving, then
tailed Kwong until reaching
the intersection of Church
and Ocean Parkway. When
Kwong attempted to turn, Motalab
allegedly cut him off
and blocked his egress.
At this point, Kwong began
fi lming the encounter, a
copy of which was obtained
by the Daily News; Kwong
used a number of racial slurs
while yelling at Motalab, calling
him “Mr. Mohammad,”
“Al-Qaeda,” ISIS, and telling
him he has sex with his dog.
When Motalab got out of
his car and slapped the hood
of Kwong’s car, the DA alleges,
Kwong followed suit
out of his vehicle and spat on
Motalab; Motalab returned
the favor. Kwong then started
punching Motalab, assaulting
him until he fell unconscious,
the DA alleges.
Afterwards, Kwong called
911, introduced himself as
an off-duty cop, and lied to
dispatchers and to cops sent
to the scene by saying that
Motalab, rather than he,
had thrown the fi rst punch.
Kwong’s account was reportedly
contradicted by surveillance
footage of the incident.
Kwong’s other charges include
assault, menacing, harassment,
lying to investigators,
and improperly using
police lights.
The indictment is welcome
news f0r Brooklyn’s Muslim
community, says Majlis Ash-
Shura: Islamic Leadership
Council of New York, given
that such incidents, particularly
those perpetrated by police,
often go ignored, or not
classifi ed as the hate crimes
they are.
“Incidents of Islamophobia
by law enforcement are too
often ignored and not investigated
by authorities,” said
Mosaab Sadeia, the outreach
director for Majlis Ash-Shura.
“Today’s indictment is a welcome
break from that unjust
record and we hope justice is
secured in this case.”
An NYPD spokesperson
said that Kwong is currently
suspended from his job at the
department, and that, per department
guidelines, he’d be
automatically fi red if convicted.
Kwong was arraigned
Monday, Jan. 31, after which
he was released without bail.
He is due back in court on
March 22.
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