Hate Crime Victim’s Estate Sues New York Authorities

The estate of an Ecuadorean immigrant killed in a 2008 confrontation with a mob of Long Island teens has filed a $40 million federal civil rights lawsuit.

The suit filed Monday claims local police and elected officials allowed an atmosphere of violence against Hispanics until it culminated in the death of Marcelo Lucero.

Lucero was stabbed to death in a confrontation with seven teens in Patchogue.

The killing focused national attention on Suffolk County. It’s seen an influx of immigrants from Central and South America in the past decade. It prompted a U.S. Justice Department investigation into how police respond to bias attacks in Suffolk.

The teens were either convicted or pleaded guilty to hate crime-related charges and are in prison.