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Back in April, Dia El-Deen Hassan, a clerk at Kamaran Deli and Grocery on Avenue A at Fifth Street, was arrested for assault after reportedly hitting a customer with a baseball bat and calling her a tranny.
Authorities now say that the bashing claim was bogus, the Daily News reports today.
The clerk and his attorney denied the allegations from the outset and said that 18-year-old Noel Torres was trying to steal beer.
Surveillance video from the deli reportedly confirms the clerk's version of events. The charges against Hassan are expected to be dropped next week.
Police arrested Torres, who was charged with filing a false report charge, per the News.
The clerk's attorney, Stuart Meltzer, said this about Torres' actions:
"Laws designed to protect the disadvantaged, those that are different, that stand out in society and that are clearly targets … are very important laws and they're designed to protect the fabric of our society."
