By:Jeff Lipton
A fight over turf in Atlantic Beach ended in the arrest of two men from Long Beach who are charged with the baseball-bat attack on three people returning from an all-night party cruise last week, police said.
The victims, who are from Atlantic Beach, Inwood and Malverne and were part of a group of 30 young adults returning from a party cruise in Freeport, were attacked after they exited buses at Ocean Boulevard and Coronado Street in Atlantic Beach at about 2:55 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, according to Det. Michael Gilbride of the Fourth Squad.
One victim, a 22-year-old man from Atlantic Beach, was struck in the left front of his head by a bat, causing a deep cut two inches long and requiring 19 stitches to close, authorities said. He was treated at Peninsula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway and released.
The two other victims also were hit with bats and suffered cuts and bruises, police said. They were treated at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, and released, officials said.
One suspect, identified as Paul Martin, 21, of West Beech Street, Long Beach, was arrested by police at 3:35 a.m. in East Atlantic Beach, about an hour after the attack, said Det. Sgt. John King. Martin was charged with one count of assault in the second degree, a D felony, and arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead Aug. 15.
A search for a second suspect resulted in the arrest of Frank DePace, 20, of Connecticut Avenue, Long Beach, at 11:10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 17, police said. DePace was charged with gang assault in the second degree and arraigned in First District Court on the same day. Martin was free on $1,000 bail and DePace on $1,500, according to Rick Hinshaw, a spokesperson for the Nassau County district attorney.
According to investigators, about 30 young adults were returning from what one described as a "booze cruise" in Freeport and were exiting two buses when they were confronted by a group of young men, all from Long Beach, who were occupying three cars at Ocean and Coronado.
The Long Beach men exchanged words with several of the 30 as they were stepping off the bus, detectives said.
One of the victims told police that the suspects were shouting at them, "You tough guys? You mess with guys from Long Beach, you mess with everyone in Long Beach," King said.
Another shouted at the group, "You think you're so tough?" said King, who added, "It was just kid crap. It was some territorial stuff because they were all from Long Beach."
The verbal onslaught and taunts escalated into physical violence when the suspects allegedly grabbed the bats and began swinging, police said.
"It appears they were looking to start a fight and they started to come up to them," King said. "They swung bats and hit the victims. A couple of them had bats."
Police said they are seeking possibly one other man in the attack.
