A man faces up to 15 years behind bars for assaulting a gay couple in Williamsburg, according to the borough’s top prosecutor, who charged the defendant for a hate crime that he said has no place in Kings County.
“This defendant allegedly assaulted an innocent couple simply because he perceived they were gay,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “Crimes that target individuals because of their sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or other identity are a threat to everything we stand for in Brooklyn.”
The 25-year-old Queens man ran after the 29- and 30-year-old victims as they left Lorimer Street’s Metropolitan Bar — a popular watering hole among the local gay community — a little before 1 am on Sept. 23, and allegedly started shouting homophobic slurs, officials said.
The defendant then chased the couple down Metropolitan Avenue, before allegedly hurling both victims to the ground, knocking each unconscious, authorities said.
A good Samaritan called 911 to report the incident, and paramedics rushed both men to Woodhull Hospital, where doctors treated the 30-year-old victim for a fractured and dislocated left shoulder, and the 29-year-old victim for a broken finger, according to police.
The man turned himself into cops days later on Sept. 26 after authorities circulated a photo of him snapped by a person who witnessed the act, prosecutors said.
Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun set the defendant’s bail at $15,000 during his Wednesday arraignment, and ordered him to return to court on Jan. 16, according to information from Gonzalez’s office.
