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Updated 07/18/2009 11:36 AM

Second Suspect In Alleged S.I. Bias Attack Arrested

By: NY1 News

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Police have arrested a second person in connection with an alleged bias attack on Staten Island last month.

The Staten Island district attorney says Brooklyn resident Albijond Kaja, 28, was arrested Thursday night.

Second Suspect In Alleged S.I. Bias Attack Arrested
Staten Island resident Joseph Sweeney, 23, seen right, was also taken into custody Thursday following a police lineup.

The attack happened on June 17 in Bulls Head.

Police say Sweeney approached Luis Maltez, 38, at a gas station on Victory Boulevard and yelled racial slurs at him.

Investigators say Sweeney followed Maltez out of the gas station, got into a car with two other men, and followed him for about a block.

They say the men got out of the car and started beating Maltez with baseball bats.

Maltez suffered serious head injuries, and needed nearly two dozen stitches in his head.

Both men face multiple charges, including assault as a hate crime, robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon.

If convicted, both could spend 25 years behind bars.