A lawyer for a suspect in the notorious Staten Island bias attack tried to turn the tables on the victim yesterday, claiming it was she who first hurled racial slurs at the teens charged in the case.
Mario Gallucci, who represents 18-year-old suspect Anthony Improta, told The Post that Rachel Carter, who is black, started shouting racial insults at a group of white teens.
“It was she who started the whole thing,” Gallucci said.
He declined to elaborate and lawyers for the other suspects would not comment on the charge. Carter could not immediately be reached.
The blame-the-victim allegation came as Improta and three other suspects were arraigned on charges ranging from assault to aggravated harassment in the violence which occurred on Labor Day at Crescent Beach Park in Great Kills.
Carter and her white and Hispanic friends charge they were beaten by the white gang, who allegedly screamed, “Go home nigger!” and other slurs.
Also arraigned yesterday were: Christian Rudge, 19; Marilyn Mazzeli, 19; and Christopher Zitelli, 18. All were freed on bails of $1,000 to $2,500.
All were also given a 9 p.m. curfew, meaning they must be at home in the custody of their parents at that time every night or face arrest.
Seven others also have been busted in connection with the case.
The suspects are expected to be called before a grand jury probing the attack on Sept. 19.
Gallucci insisted the case will be thrown out.
“After the investigation is done with the district attorney, this is going to be found to be nothing more than a fight among teenagers,” he said.
Lou Diamond, the lawyer for Mazzeli, added: “This is a case where you have political pressure – the police department was pressured [to bring charges].”
As The Post reported yesterday, three cops could face disciplinary action for reportedly not taking the complaints of Carter and her friends seriously at first.