Police: East Meadow man assaults teen after taking daughter to fight
Richard Ortiz, 45, of East Meadow, leaves Nassau County police headquarters in Mineola Wednesday, June 25, 2014, after turning himself in at the Second Precinct in Levittown. Ortiz is charged in connection with the assault of a teenage boy on June 18, police said. Credit: Howard Schnapp
An East Meadow man was under arrest Wednesday after he drove his daughter and three of her teenage friends to a park to fight another girl, then assaulted a teenage boy who attempted to prevent the fight -- striking him in the head with a crowbar, police said.
Richard Ortiz, 45, of 1547 Prospect Ave., surrendered to Nassau County police at the Second Precinct at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday. He was charged with second-degree assault and ordered held on $20,000 bond or $10,000 bail at his arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead.
Police said that at about 1:20 a.m. on June 18, Ortiz drove his daughter, 17, and three of her friends to Abe Levitt Park on Stewart Avenue in Hicksville, where his daughter then confronted a group of four teens, including the 17-year-old boy, and tried to engage one girl in a fight.
But when the boy stepped between the two girls to prevent any altercation, police said, Ortiz struck him in the head with a crowbar, causing "a large laceration" that required eight staples.
Ortiz and the four girls then fled, police said. The boy was taken to a hospital for treatment. Ortiz faced arraignment Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead.
Ortiz's attorney, Deron Castro of Forest Hills, Queens, told News 12 that his client had gone to the park to defend his daughter who was being attacked by a group of teens.
With Khloe Meitz
Updated now Bay Shore teacher back in court ... Smithtown library repair ... Study finds Penn needs to expand ... NYC school chancellor's exit .
Updated now Bay Shore teacher back in court ... Smithtown library repair ... Study finds Penn needs to expand ... NYC school chancellor's exit .
