A 52-year-old father from Guyana was beaten by an 18-year-old from Mexico on March 3 and died of a heart attack. Jagat Ram Balram of Queens was a marine engineer in his homeland:
A police source said Roque downed a number of drinks in a friend’s home, then hit the streets of Richmond Hill, confronting residents. After several confrontations, including one with a man who wouldn’t back down, Roque pounced on Balram, who was heading home from his job as a bus mechanic just before 1 a.m., police said.
The 120-pound Roque knocked the victim, who at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds towered over the suspect, to the snow-covered ground in front of Balram’s Jamaica Avenue home, then kicked him into unconsciousness, police said… Roque, who emigrated from Mexico… attends Richmond Hill High School and works as a busboy at nearby Alfies Pizza & Pasta. [MSNBC]
Two witnesses dialed 911 and ran to help Jagat Balram while another good Samaritan chased the fleeing suspect to Jamaica Ave. and 118th St. and flagged down a patrol car… Jagat Balram’s hard-earned savings will now be used to send his body back to South America, instead of bringing his 25-year-old son, Chateran, to New York. [Daily News]
Keri Dowd, a history teacher at Richmond Hill HS, said Roque had a reputation as having “a discipline problem,” and said a fellow teacher — who had him in her class — said he was “disturbed, violent and aggressive.” [NY Post]
sigh…
Interesting…..did not know this….for anyone interested in guyanese indian diasporic arts….the rajkumari center in queens is having a festival 2morrow oct. 15th 2005…celebrating indo guyanese art, workshops, artists such as taij moteelal and chee malabar are performing…should be fun and thought provoking.