Maine Police Arrest Men in Racially-Motivated Assault

Portland, Maine, police say they have charged two brothers in a racially-motivated assault in the city.

Police say 35-year-old Charles Bean Jr. and 30-year-old Benjamin Bean, both of New Gloucester, were arrested on April 19 after a fight in an alley with 33-year-old Antonio Byars. Police say the Beans, who are white, singled out Byars, who is black, and used racial slurs while threatening to kill him. Byars suffered facial injuries, scrapes and bruises and was treated and released from a local hospital.

The Beans face charges of assault and interference with constitutional and civil rights. They face imprisonment for up to one year.

A New Gloucester man who identified himself as the Beans' father says he does not know if they have an attorney. He declined to comment further.