Westbury man faces hate crime charges in attack on Hispanic man

<p>A Westbury man faces hate crime charges after allegedly attacking a man in Ronkonkoma.</p>

News 12 Staff

Mar 15, 2018, 11:18 PM

Updated 2,394 days ago

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A Westbury man is facing hate crime charges after allegedly attacking a man in Ronkonkoma.
Police say 52-year-old Sean Oree, of Westbury, approached a Hispanic man Wednesday night at the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station – yelled racial slurs, then began punching and kicking him.
"It's disturbing,” said John Rowan, of the Suffolk County Major Crimes Bureau. “The victim was minding his own business heading home after a day of work and it was an unprovoked attack based upon his heritage."  
The victim was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital and treated for injuries that were not life threatening.

Oree's sister tells News 12 that her brother was probably drunk at the time of the incident and that she doesn’t believe he is racist or hateful.

Oree is charged with assault in the third degree as a hate crime and is being held on a $15,000 bond.