THE BRONX — A young man, who is behind bars for trying to kill a man in front of his family for speaking Arabic, randomly attacked a Rikers Island guard Monday and sent her to the hospital for stitches, officials said.
Erick Pastuizaca, 19, who had been deemed unfit for trial after a psychiatric examination for an attempted murder in 2015, punched a prison guard in the face inside the George Motchan Detention Center about 8:20 a.m. and was arrested on an assault charge, a Department of Correction spokeswoman said.
The guard, whose name wasn't immediately released, received stitches at an area hospital and was released, officials said.
He was expected to be arraigned for the Monday attack as of Thursday morning, records show.
"I am outraged by this unprovoked, serious assault on our officer. Attacks against hardworking men and women who serve in our department will not be tolerated," said Correction commissioner Joseph Ponte.
Pastuizaca was in jail for a 2015 hate crime in which he stabbed a man in front of his wife and son for speaking Arabic in Sunset Park, according to Brooklyn and Bronx prosecutors.
Pastuizaca was standing next to a parked Toyota Avalon with his brother inside when he spotted a man walking with his wife and their 8-year-old son past 637 41st St. about 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 16, 2015, prosecutors said.
"What are you looking at?" Pastuizaca asked the man. "You're a pussy. Why are you walking away?"
The man told his wife, in Arabic, to ignore him, prosecutors said.
"You're Arabic. Go back to your country," Pastuizaca added before plunging a knife into the man's stomach.
Pastuizaca fled as his brother got out of the car and confronted the victim, according to NYPD Captain Eric Perez.
"What did you do to my brother?" the brother said. "I'm going to stab you because you're Arabic and you deserve it."
The brother, Manuel Pastuizaca, then slashed the victim across his right arm, prosecutors said.
The victim had to get surgery at an area hospital, officials said.
The Pastuizaca brothers were arraigned on charges of assault as a hate crime, according to the criminal complaint against them.
However, Erick Pastuizaca's charges were upgraded to attempted murder soon after the arrest, officials said.
He was deemed unfit for trial after a psychiatric examination and was being held at the George Motchan Detention Center, which is commonly used to house many youthful offenders, DOC officials said.
His attorney for the attempted murder charge wasn't immediately available for comment.
His brother paid $50,000 bail and was released on Oct. 23, 2015, court records show. An order of protection was issued against him and he's due back in court on March 8, 2017, records show.
