Crime & Safety
Four Arrested In Assault Of Gay Black Man In Williamsburg
Four men, two of whom were retrieved from Israel, have been taken into custody in connection with the beating of a gay, black man in Williamsburg in December.
Four of the group that could've consisted of upward of 20 Orthodox Jewish men have been arrested in the brutal beating NYPD believes may have been a hate crime.
The suspects allegedly approached Taj Patterson, 22, December 1 of last year as he was walking up Flushing Avenue near Spencer Street and attacked him. Two of the suspects have been retrieved from Israel, where the fled after the crime.
The group allegedly grabbed Patterson, punched him in the face and kicked him until he passed out all while shouting anti-gay slurs.
He suffered a broken eye socket, torn retina, bruises and blood clotting. An MTA bus driver broke up the attack.
"I get out of the bus and all these men were standing up straight around him,” bus driver Evelyn Keys told the Daily News. "Taj is laying down on his back. I went up to him and he was in so much pain. He says, ‘I can’t see . . . I can’t breathe.'"
The four in custody are expected to be arraigned later today, and the case may bring more arrests.
“I was alone. I was an easy target. I’m black. I’m gay, a whole slew of reasons," Patterson said of his attack.
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