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UPDATE: Five Arrested In Williamsburg Beating Of Gay Black Man
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 23, 2014
Modified Apr 23, 2014
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Taj Patterson
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 23, 2014
Modified Apr 23, 2014
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[UPDATE BELOW] Four members of Williamsburg's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community have been arrested in connection with the beating of a gay black man in Williamsburg last December, an incident that has been investigated as a possible hate crime.
The suspects, who allegedly attacked 22-year-old Taj Patterson as he was walking along Flushing Avenue near Spencer Street early December 1, were rounded up by law enforcement officials this week, police said. Two of the suspects were apparently plucked from Israel, where they fled following the attack, the Daily News reports. They are expected to be arraigned later today, and more arrests are likely.
Patterson was walking home alone from a party when he was attacked by a horde of roughly 20 Orthodox Jewish men, who beat him while yelling anti-gay slurs, including, "Stay down, f----t!" Witnesses said the men all appeared to wearing similar uniforms, leading to speculation that they may have been members of Williamsburg Shomrim, a Jewish neighborhood watch group that patrols the area.
Patterson said at the time that his assailants "came up behind me, they grabbed me, they punched me in the face, kicked me down, knocked me out." The assault was stopped by an MTA bus driver who pulled over and intervened. "I get out of the bus and all these men were standing up straight around him,” bus driver Evelyn Keys said. "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."
He was taken to Woodhull Hospital, where he was treated for a broken eye socket, a torn retina, bruises and blood clotting.
“I was alone. I was an easy target. I’m black. I’m gay, a whole slew of reasons," Patterson said following the assault.
Update, 5:04 p.m.: The Kings County District Attorney has released the names of the now five men arrested for Patterson's attack. Aharon Hollender, 28, Abraham Winkler, 39, Mayer Herskovic, 21, Pinchas Braver, 19 and Joseph Fried, 25, have all been charged with several counts of assault, though no hate crime charges have been filed. All five were associated with the Williamsburg Safety Patrol Unit, a civilian neighborhood watch group.
“We simply cannot allow anyone walking on the streets of Brooklyn to be knocked to the ground, stomped and brutally beaten," said Kings County DA Ken Thompson said in a statement. "Our streets must be free of such violence and everyone must adhere to the rule of law, including these defendants.”
If convicted, each could face up to 25 years in prison.
Tagged
hate crime
taj patterson
williamsburg
Lauren Evans
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