CRIME
Teen Punched in Anti-Gay Bus Attack in Manhattan
Stranger accused of hurling slurs, assaulting teenager days before Thanksgiving
BY MATT TRACY
A 19-year-old straphanger
was exiting an MTA
bus in Chelsea just days
before Thanksgiving
when a man allegedly approached
him, spewed anti-LGBTQ rhetoric,
and punched him, according to reports.
The long-haired assailant
pounced on the victim shortly before
5 p.m. on November 22 on the
M23 bus at 23rd Street and Sixth
Avenue, according to the NYPD.
“I don’t like people like you,” the
accused assailant said, according
to the New York Post. “I hate gay
people.”
The NYPD noted that the man
“verbally harassed” the teenager,
but a police spokesperson would
not confi rm the specifi c nature of
the harassment.
The man then briefl y stepped off
The alleged attacker is seen just moments after cops said he stepped off the bus and punched a man.
the bus to punch the teen before
jumping back onboard, according
to police. The victim suffered pain
and bruising as a result of the attack,
but refused medical attention.
Authorities are seeking to question
NYPD
the unidentifi ed alleged attacker,
who was caught by surveillance
video footage during the
attack four days before Thanksgiving.
The NYPD believes he is between
the age of 30 and 40 years of
age. Video footage shows him donning
a blue collared shirt, a black
jacket, and a mask positioned below
his face.
Governor Andrew Cuomo denounced
the attack in a written
statement on December 22, calling
the alleged anti-LGBTQ incident
“downright disturbing” and stressing
that New Yorkers “deserve answers”
about the case.
“This violent attack, which targeted
a teenager as they were exiting
the bus, is repugnant to everything
we stand for in New York, and
I am directing the New York State
Police Hate Crimes Task Force to
immediately offer assistance investigating
this cowardly act,” Cuomo
said.
“Make no mistake: we do not
tolerate bias attacks in the Empire
State, and we will always defend
New Yorkers who are targeted for
being who they are,” Cuomo added.
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December 31, 2020 - January 13, 2 6 021 | GayCityNews.com
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