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Tampa Police: Bottle, Slurs Hurled; Hate Crime Charged

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2008

TAMPA - Police have accused a black man of committing a hate crime against a white Hispanic man by yelling racial slurs and throwing a bottle at him.

Demetrick Sanders, 32, of Tampa, is charged with felony aggravated battery, which police indicated on an affidavit was a racial hate crime. He could face an enhanced penalty if convicted.

Bail for Sanders was set at $7,500, and he was being held at Orient Road Jail today.

Tampa police arrested Sanders about 9:40 p.m. Thursday after another man, Jose Manuel Sanjurjo, 42, accused Sanders of throwing a bottle at him and other men of striking him on the back with a brick, a report states. Sanjurjo also said in the report that the men shouted racial slurs at him.

The other men are not identified in the report.

Police say Sanjurjo was walking home at 9:34 p.m. Thursday when he was attacked by eight to 12 men at North 11th Street and East Holland Avenue. Sanjurjo told police the men yelled threats and slurs while throwing objects from trash cans at him.

At one point, Sanjurjo was struck on the back with a brick, causing scrapes and bruising, the report states.

Officers responded to a call about people fighting in the road to find Sanjurjo and a man later identified as Sanders shouting at each other, the report states.

Sanders told police, according to the report, that the situation was "a big misunderstanding" and that he had come out to "get the kids" to leave Sanjurjo alone.

Police arrested Sanders after Sanjurjo said he had seen Sanders throw a beer bottle at him. Several witnesses also told police they had seen several people throwing objects from the trash at Sanjurjo while chasing him, but the report notes that none of these witnesses wanted to be identified or to get involved.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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