Police Arrest a Suspect in Sunday’s Gay Bashing in Brooklyn

Police have made an arrest in the savage beating of two men in Williamsburg, NYC authorities confirmed Wednesday.

Brandon McNamara, a 25 year-old Queens resident was arrested after being identified through the photograph above, which was taken by witness immediately after the Sept. 23 incident outside the Desert Island Bakery on Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn. Although he ran from the scene according to those present, police say that the man in the photo has now been positively identified as McNamara.

The attack took place after midnight around 12:55 am on Sunday, September 23rd. NYPD tells the press that the suspect approached the two victims in front of 540 Metropolitan Avenue club and made what they termed “anti-sexual orientation statements,” then assaulted them.

According to reports, McNamara made anti-gay slurs before assaulting the two men. Allegedly he punched one 34-year old victim in the face and threw the other 29-year-old victim into a tree. Both victims were rendered unconscious by the attacks.

The first victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital where physicians found his shoulder fractured, while the 29-year-old was taken to Woodhull Hospital for a broken finger. What is not clear is whether the encounter was the first time the perpetrator and victims interacted.

McNamara has been charged with two counts each of hate crime assault in the second degree, second-degree assault and first-and second-degree hate crimes.

One local resident, Aidan Pongrice, says he believes the attack is part of a bigger picture than one isolated incident. “We need for people to take action,” Pongrice is quoted as telling Gothamist, “not just to find and arrest this one person, we need people to take action to go out and vote and make sure that we don’t have people and leaders in this country that actively dog whistle against my very existence.”