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Calls to drop charges in 2020 Chinatown attack
A rally outside the Manhattan DA’s office Wednesday called for all charges to be dropped against John Ong in connection to a 2020 attack in Chinatown that sent a man to the hospital. His supporters claim this was self-defense after the man made threats and shouted homophobic and racial slurs. FOX 5 NY’s Arthur Chi’en takes a look at the facts surrounding this case.
NEW YORK - On Wednesday, hundreds protested outside Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office in Lower Manhattan, demanding justice for the Ong brothers ahead of their sentencing next week.
The brothers are set to be sentenced for a brawl that took place in the fall of 2020 on Elizabeth Street in Little Italy.
John is expected to be sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and Max to five years probation.
However, their community says they were defending themselves from five men who urinated on their building, and then attacked them when called out.
Surveillance video from the incident shows Max Ong, during the height of the pandemic, confronting five men, at least two of whom could be seen in the video urinating on the building of which he is the superintendent.
As Max Ong called 9-1-1, the men from the group crowded around him and one of the men spit on him. Ong then told the 9-1-1 operator he was called a racial slur.
"He called me an Asian c****, so this is becoming a racial problem," Ong reportedly said.
One of the men then escalates the situation by also urinating on the building, and over the 9-1-1 call someone can be heard saying "I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you."
Max's brother, John, then came out of the building and stood next to his brother, when suddenly, one of the five men assaulted him.
Punches were thrown, and the brothers, outnumbered, were seen getting pummeled. Eventually, the five men appeared to retreat down the block, but they returned.
When the men came back, John ran inside, came out with a katana, and slashed one of the men in the forearm.
Despite what is seen in the surveillance video, once police arrived, only the Ong brothers were arrested and charged with assault. None of the five men who attacked them were charged.
Four years later, both Ong brothers pleaded guilty. Family friends say that even though they say they acted in self-defense, they felt they had to plead guilty out of fear that if they would lose in court, no one would be able to take care of their elderly mother.
Bragg's office told FOX 5:
"Maximillian Ong chose to plead guilty before a judge to assault in the second degree. His brother similarly pleaded guilty to Assault in the Second Degree, with the understanding that he would receive a prison sentence. Their mother pleaded guilty to a violation for hindering the prosecution in multiple ways. We file charges based on the evidence and the facts, and an experienced team of prosecutors conducted a thorough investigation into all aspects of this case."