BX man arrested in Ecuadorean man's death

Police say one of the men who fatally beat an Ecuadorean immigrant and injured his brother in Brooklyn has been arrested Thursday. Authorities say Hakeem Scott, 25, was taken into custody near his home

News 12 Staff

Feb 27, 2009, 12:34 AM

Updated 5,697 days ago

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Police say one of the men who fatally beat an Ecuadorean immigrant and injured his brother in Brooklyn has been arrested Thursday.
Authorities say Hakeem Scott, 25, was taken into custody near his home at 3204 Park Ave. in the Bronx and confessed to an apparent hate crime. Scott was later charged with second-degree murder at the Brooklyn Criminal Court.
"He told detectives that news accounts of the two brothers had troubled him, and that he was glad to finally get it off his chest," says New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Police say they are still searching for a second suspect, who they identified as Keith Phoenix.
Investigators say Jose Sucuzhanay, 31, was beaten with a baseball bat and kicked by men who shouted anti-gay and anti-Hispanic slurs. At the time of the incident, Sucuzhanay was walking hand-in-hand with his brother on their way home. The victim's brother was able to run away and call police.
The assault left Sucuzhanay in a coma, and he died five days later.A $22,000 award is being offered to anyone with information that will lead to Phoenix's arrest. Police are asking people who know of the suspect's whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.