COLONIE — The man whose photo was circulated on social and traditional media for allegedly threatening a family because on their religion will not face charges, according to police.
“At the present, probable cause does not exist for an arrest,” said Lt. Robert Winn after investigators interviewed the man in the photos, the victim and members of the victim’s family. The allegations were being investigated as a hate crime.
In a post on Facebook, Rashad Mohamed Benantar said he was at the Crossings playground with his nephews on Monday, Aug. 19 when a man approached them “shouting racist comments.”
According to the post, the man told Benantar said “your prophet is a dog and this is a Christian country … etc.”
“After I confronted him he said word for word: “You came here today to die, you’re going to die,” Banantar wrote.
He posted photos of the man and his vehicle and urged people to share the information because “we need to identify this individual.”
While Banantar said the man told the family he was a police officer, Winn said he told police he was an officer in the military and it was misinterpreted by the victim.
The Colonie Police Department is asking that if anyone has any information about the incident or who was at the Crossings on Monday, Aug. 19 between 4 and 6 p.m. and who may have witnessed the incident that they call 518-783-2744.
The man, who is not being identified at this time, could have faced aggravated harassment, a felony.
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