An Ohio man has been accused of lying about being the victim of a hate crime last month, when in fact he was injured in a struggle with his brother.
Lied About Being Hit by a Car
According to WKYC, Hesham A. Ayyad’s injuries on October 22 were not caused by being hit by a car during a “racially motivated” incident, as claimed in a news statement from the Cleveland branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Instead, police in North Olmsted and North Ridgeville said Ayyad was hurt during an altercation with his brother. Ayyad alleged that before running him down in the street, an unknown car screamed anti-Palestinian remarks at him. However, authorities checked security footage from the neighborhood, which they claim shows the brothers fighting aggressively.
According to Cleveland.com, Ayyad was detained on Tuesday and charged with false alarms, falsification, impeding official business, domestic abuse, and assault. Khalil A. Ayyad, 19, was also detained and charged with domestic abuse and assault. Both males have secured bail to be released. A representative for CAIR stated in a statement Wednesday that the organization is looking for further information regarding the arrests. “Our understanding is that the brothers have secured their legal counsel,” the statement reads. “We don’t know anything else about the nature of the charges yet.”
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