愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Police in a suburban New York county have made their first arrest under a new law banning face masks

This photo provided by the Nassau County Police Department on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, shows Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo, 18, who was arrested for possessing a 14-inch knife and wearing a mask in Nassau County, N.Y., Sunday, Aug. 25. (Nassau County Police Department via AP) This photo provided by the Nassau County Police Department on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, shows Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo, 18, who was arrested for possessing a 14-inch knife and wearing a mask in Nassau County, N.Y., Sunday, Aug. 25. (Nassau County Police Department via AP)
Share
NEW YORK CITY -

Police in the suburbs of New York City made the first arrest under a new local law banning face masks, officials announced Tuesday.

Nassau County Police say officers on Sunday night responded to reports of a suspicious person on a street near the Levittown and Hicksville town line, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) east of Manhattan.

They found Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo wearing black clothing and a black ski mask that covered his face, except for his eyes.

The department said the 18-year-old resident displayed other suspicious behavior, including attempting to conceal a large bulge in his waistband and refusing to comply with the officers鈥 commands.

Officers say the bulge turned out to be a 14-inch knife. Ramirez Castillo was placed under arrest without further incident, police said.

He was arraigned Monday in Nassau County District Court in Hempstead on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly鈥檚 office.

Lt. Scott Skrynecki, a police department spokesperson, said Ramirez Castillo will also be facing a misdemeanor violation of the face mask law in the coming days.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who signed the mask ban into law earlier this month, said Sunday鈥檚 arrest showed the rule is working.

鈥淥ur police officers were able to use the mask ban legislation as well as other factors to stop and interrogate an individual who was carrying a weapon with the intent to engage in a robbery,鈥 he said in an emailed statement. 鈥淧assing this law gave police another tool to stop this dangerous criminal.鈥

Keith Ross, a criminal justice professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said police didn鈥檛 necessarily need the new law to stop and question Ramirez Castillo, but it helped bolster their justification.

鈥淭he law gives police, at the very least, reasonable suspicion to conduct a stop,鈥 the retired New York City police officer explained by phone. 鈥淯nder reasonable suspicion, police can forcibly stop a person in New York state if they are suspected of committing a felony or a penal law misdemeanor, which is where this new law falls.鈥

But Scott Banks, attorney-in chief at the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which is representing Ramirez Castillo, challenged that notion.

鈥淭here is no basis to believe that wearing a face mask was intended to conceal identity or criminal behavior, and if that was the basis of the stop I believe there is a basis to conclude the stop was unlawful,鈥 he wrote in an email.

Skrynecki declined to comment, adding that police and county officials will discuss the incident at a news conference Wednesday.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, which has criticized the new law, repeated its warning that the mask ban is 鈥渞ipe for selective enforcement by a police department with a history of aggression and discrimination.鈥

Disability Rights of New York, a group that advocates for people with disabilities, filed a legal challenge last week arguing that the mask law is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with disabilities.

The federal class action lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to immediately stop enforcement of the ban.

The Mask Transparency Act was approved by the county鈥檚 Republican-controlled legislature in response to 鈥渁ntisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks鈥 since the Oct. 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war.

The law makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a US$1,000 fine for anyone in Nassau to wear a face covering to hide their identity in public. It exempts people who wear masks 鈥渇or health, safety, religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a holiday or similar religious or cultural event for which masks or facial coverings are customarily worn.鈥

Correction

This story was first published on Aug. 27, 2024. It was updated on Aug. 28, 2024, to correct the court in which the defendant was arraigned. It was Nassau County District Court in Hempstead, not Family Court in Westbury.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.

A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.