Food cart vendor speaking out after attack he calls "hate crime"

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Amayan Shiha has 25 stitches in the side of his head. He also has another wound not two inches from his kidney and another on his leg. Shiha says the injuries were sustained when a crazed attacker went after him with a switchblade and made his motive painfully clear.

"He looked at me and he tell me 'you wanna fight?'" said Shiha, "and he grabbed something from his right pocket."

The incident happened on Tuesday on 28th and 1st Avenue where Shiha operates a food cart right across from Bellevue Hospital. He says he lay bleeding as an off-duty officer chased down the suspect, identified as Luis Gracia.

Although police charged Gracia with Felony Assault, they have not accused him of a hate crime. According to Shiha, cops consider the incident merely a fight over a sandwich. In fact, Gracia is already out on bail.

For the longtime street vendor, it all just doesn't make sense.

"We still have this kind of stuff happening in New York in 2014 - it's unbelievable," adds Shiha.