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Police Release Sketches Of Suspects Who Beat Daughter & Mother In Anti-Gay Attack
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 24, 2015
Modified Sep 24, 2015
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 24, 2015
Modified Sep 24, 2015
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Investigators have released new sketches of a man and two women responsible for a bizarre assault in a midtown east Korean restaurant last week. The suspects apparently assumed a mother and daughter who were eating dinner together were a lesbian couple, and then attacked them because of their presumed sexual orientation.
According to NYPD, the incident occurred on Saturday, September 12, before 1 a.m. at Barkogi restaurant (957 Second Avenue): A 27-year-old woman was having dinner with her mother "when three unknown suspects, sitting at a table behind the victim started yelling obscenities and anti-gay slurs. The suspects threw the victim to the ground then began dragging her by her legs injuring her knees, before fleeing the scene."
Responding officers found the victim with cuts and bruises to her knees. She was taken to NYU Hospital with minor injuries.
The young woman, Tiffany Santiago, spoke to the Daily News, describing, "As soon as I sat down, I heard the word 'lesbian.' My mother and I look very close in age. They must've thought we were on a date."
She said that the suspects, who appeared to be in their mid-30s, were in the booth next to them: "I assumed they were just talking amongst themselves, having a conversation. But after we finished ordering, I felt something hit my right shoulder." Santiago said that pieces of lime and lemon, as well as balled-up napkin bits, were thrown at them, and the group also used anti-gay epithets and cursed at them.
Santiago's 46-year-old mother said, "Excuse me, what’s wrong with you? That’s my daughter. I don’t like what you’re saying," but then the brunette woman said, "I can take you, let’s go!" The woman attacked Santiago, and then her mother. Then the man, Santiago said, "pull[ed] down my shirt. (The brunette) pushe[d] me out of the way and then he [threw] me across the room... “I’m now bleeding, my top is half off, and I get up and I can see he’s punching my mom in the arm and his girlfriend is on top of her.”
Santiago needed stitches for her cuts and her mother also had minor injuries. There's video of the suspects:
Polic described the suspects as:
Suspect #1: A man in his mid-40's, approximately 5'8" tall, weighing 180 lbs., balding with a beard. He was last seen wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans—and casually smoking a cigarette.
Suspect #2: A woman in her mid-30's, approximately 5'7" tall, weighing 130 lbs., dirty blonde hair. She was last seen wearing light colored shirt, black pants and light colored high heel boots.
Suspect #3: A woman in her mid-30's, approximately 5'7" tall, weighing 120 lbs., with long wavy black hair. She was last seen wearing a white tank top, black pants and black high heel boots.
Tagged
antigay attack
assault
barkogi
midtown
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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