A New York man who was attacked in Times Square last month by The Guardian Angels, a New York City-based anti-immigrant vigilante group, during a live interview with Fox News is suing the group.
Marco Piña, 22, plans to file a lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court and lodged a criminal complaint with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office a month after his confrontation with the group, according to the New York Daily News.
Piña, a Bronx native who emigrated to the US when he was 2-years-old, said in a statement that New York City is the only home he knows.
“I’ve never lived anywhere else,” he said, adding “I work to support my child and I’ve never broken the law. Now I will tell my story to the [district attorney] and will seek justice. I’m not afraid anymore.”
Last month, Piña was attacked live on Fox News by members of the Guardian Angels. The group’s founder, Curtis Sliwa, identified him as a “migrant” at the time and falsely accused him of “shoplifting”.
“Our guys have just taken down one of the migrant guys right here on the corner of 42nd and 7th while all this has taken place,” Sliwa told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “They’ve taken over!”
“Let’s just say we gave him a little pain compliance. His mother back in Venezuela felt the vibrations. He is sucking concrete,” he added. Sliwa later admitted that he was wrong.
On Tuesday, Piña said he was scared to come forward against the group and Sliwa sooner because of his immigration status.
“It has taken me some time to come forward. I’m a nobody in this city, Curtis Sliwa is famous,” he said. “I was intimidated and scared since I’m only protected by DACA, a temporary permit for immigrants like myself that arrived here as babies.”
Sliwa, who has a history of fabricating stories of criminal behavior in the past for publicity, said in a statement that Piña caused the confrontation by “pushing and shoving through the film crew despite being told by the security of the film crew to ‘please stay back’ repeatedly.”
“The Guardian Angels stand against hate and we pride ourselves on our diversity and inclusivity,” he added.
