No hate crime for suspect accused of beating Egyptian-born Detroiter 

Det NEWS 

DETROIT -- A 19-year-old Detroit man was charged today with two felonies in an alleged attack that an Islamic civil rights group called a hate crime. 

Ernest Domenech was arraigned in 36th District Court today with first-degree home invasion and intent to do great bodily harm.

If convicted, Domenech could spend as much as 30 years in prison. Despite pressure from activists, prosecutors did not seek ethnic intimidation charges, which is a lesser two-year misdemeanor. "

This case is an extremely ugly neighborhood dispute," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. "We have charged these very serious felonies because we believe they are supported by the facts.

While the evidence shows there were some ethnic insults uttered … they do not support the charge of ethnic intimidation." The Michigan Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on law enforcement officials Tuesday to investigate the assault against Shafik Shoaib as a hate crime. 

Dawud Walid, the group's executive director, said he is still pursuing federal charges against Domench, but was happy with today's action. "I'm pleased that the county has gathered enough evidence to charge him with (two) felonies, which is substantial," Walid said. "

(But) we're still unsettled that more arrests haven't been made." Shoaib, 51, who is Egyptian, was dragged, called racial slurs and told "you're not an American," while he was beaten by 10 white men outside of his west side home Monday night, according to the civil rights group. 

The fight apparently began because a woman next door was smoking.


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