A St. Petersburg man faces a hate crime accusation after deputies say he stabbed a man because he is Muslim.
Bradley Kent Strott, 52, and Samad Ebadi were at Marsha's Wayside Inn bar, at 4021 54th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg, about 7:30 p.m. Friday, talking about religion, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arrest report.
Strott got angry after Ebadi said he followed the Islamic faith. Strott then grabbed Ebadi by the shirt and stabbed him in the neck with a pocket knife, the report states.
Then Strott told Ebadi that "Muslims are the root of the problems," according to the report.
Ebadi, of Seminole, is OK and wasn't seriously hurt, said his son, Ali Ebadi.
"He's all right; nothing vital was hit," Ebadi said.
Strott was arrested Friday night on a charge of aggravated battery hate crime. He was released from jail Saturday night after posting $15,000 bail.
Ali Ebadi said he's upset that Strott wasn't charged with attempted murder and was released from jail after just one night in jail.
"I want justice," Ebadi said. "I want him charged with attempted murder. I want him in jail."
Ebadi said his father is a regular at the bar and knows Strott. The elder Ebadi owns Sam's Food Mart, located at 4011 54th Ave. N., next to the bar.
Strott is a regular at the convenience store, Ali Ebadi said.
Marsha Gersky, the bar owner, said she's not certain what occurred. She said they were eating pizza and drinking together. They seemed to be having a good time, Gersky said.
"What happened happened and fortunately it wasn't worse than it was," Gersky said.
The attack is an example of the hatred toward Muslims in this country, Ali Ebadi said.
"Muslims in this country are portrayed as evil, and this is what happens," he said.
"That is scary; that is sad. This attacker tried to kill my dad."
jpatino@tampatrib.com
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