Baldwin man acquitted of stabbing outside restaurant-bar
A Nassau jury found a Baldwin man not guilty Friday of a stabbing that helped lead to a crackdown on a Hempstead Village bar.
Pedro Mendez-Ramos, 23, was cleared of first-degree assault and fourth-degree possession of a dangerous weapon in connection with a March 2016 fight outside El Mariachi Loco restaurant and bar.
His attorney, Michael Alber of Commack, believes the Nassau County Court jury in Mineola did not find the witnesses, including the victim, credible.
Mendez-Ramos, the victim and others involved in the fight had known each other and were together at the bar, he said.
But their accounts of what happened and where differed from footage collected from village surveillance cameras, the defense attorney said. The footage showed a “fuzzy” image of Mendez-Ramos and the victim in a physical confrontation but does not show any stabbing, he said.
The video does show Mendez-Ramos walking backward as the victim and his friends confronted him, Alber said.
“This was a case where there were just rampant inconsistencies in their story,” Alber said. “Mr. Mendez-Ramos is looking forward to moving on.”
Brendon Brosh, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, confirmed the not guilty verdict, saying only “we respect the verdict.”
The stabbing and other fights and crimes at or near the bar over the years prompted the state liquor authority and village officials to shut down the business, at least temporarily, ths year.
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Looking for a pizza spot or fresh cup of coffee? NewsdayTV has places you can eat at this weekend.