Prosecutor Won't File Charges in Filmmaker Assault

posted on: Mar 29, 2011

No charges will be filed in the alleged assault of an Arab-American filmmaker who claimed he was the victim of a hate crime when he was beaten after walking into a party in Fairfield, Iowa.

Jefferson County Attorney Timothy Dille released a report today saying the investigation failed to show a crime occurred. Dille says there are questions whether Usama Alshaibi — who has worked in Chicago — was assaulted.

Dille says Alshaibi’s injuries likely occurred after he was thrown out of the house earlier this month.

Alshaibi, 41, told the Tribune that one of four men punched him in the face, knocking off his eyeglasses. Three others joined in, punching him in the face and head, knocking him down, he said.

“I clearly remember the racial slurs. That stuck out,” said Alshaibi, who lived in Chicago for 16 years, and directed and starred in the acclaimed “Nice Bombs.” “It seemed like they were very angry and very hateful because of my name and because of who I was.”

But Alshaibi acknowledged that he had had a few drinks before entering the party and his memory of the incident was foggy. He was also unable to point out the house to police.

Chicago Tribune