Man with 90 prior arrests sentenced for anti-gay Queens slashing
A hate-filled attacker who slashed a man across the face and barked “I hate Latinos and f----t people” has been sentenced to eight years in prison, the Queens district attorney’s office announced Tuesday.
Ramon Castro, 56, pleaded guilty to assault charges as a hate crime in the July 6, 2021 attack on Lobos Salguero.
The 34-year-old victim was on line with four friends at a taco truck on 77th St. near 37th Road in Jackson Heights, Queens, last summer when Castro began verbally harassing the group and spewing slurs.
Castro then pulled a knife and slashed Salguero, leaving him with a wound that required 16 stitches.
“Think about it — if it was 2 inches lower, he would have hit my neck and I wouldn’t be here,” Salguero told the Daily News last year.
Castro had 90 previous arrests dating back to 1982 on his record.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino sentenced him to 8 years in prison Tuesday. When he’s released, he will be subject to five years of post-release supervision.
“Hate-motivated attacks will never be tolerated in Queens County, where we pride ourselves on our rich cultural diversity,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
