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Suspect In Anti-Gay Attacks Makes Bail, 11th Suspect Arrested
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 15, 2010
Modified Oct 15, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 15, 2010
Modified Oct 15, 2010
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One of the suspects in the brutal attacks on three men—allegedly prompted by their sexuality—made bail as another one was arrested. In the meantime, the alleged gang leader said in a jailhouse interview, "I don't have anything against homosexuals. I'm not a monster," and argued he couldn't be involved, since he recently got out of jail.
Last week, the police revealed that a group of nine alleged gang members in the Latin King Goonies tortured and sodomized two 17-year-old males (one is pictured above) and a 30-year-old man, while robbing the 30-year-old's brother on October 3 and October 4 in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx. Additional suspects were then arrested, including yesterday's 11th suspect, Luis Garcia, 26, who allegedly punched two of the victims with a chain wrapped around his fist.
Ruddy Vargas-Perez, the ninth suspect who took his time in turning himself in, was charged with robbery, second-degree gang assault, hate crime, harassment, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon and made $25,000 bail. His supporters chanted "Innocent!" in court and his lawyer said, "He had nothing to do with any of that horrific conduct and he was as mortified as we all are by what happened to that poor man."
The purported leader of the gang, 23-year-old Ildefanso (Cheto) Mendez, spoke to the Daily News earlier this week and said he just attacked the 30-year-old because he thought the man molested the teens. He added that he left jail in the summer—therefore he couldn't have been leader of the gang—and he even had a gay friend behind bars who braided his hair! However, another one of the suspects, Dennis Piters, 17, told the News that Mendez made him participate in the attacks, "I was nervous. I was shaking. Cheto told me to hit him. So I slapped him, but not that hard. ... When Cheto saw him, he said, 'Take off all your clothes.' He hit him with a plastic bat ... then Cheto started pounding on him."
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anti-gay attacks
attacks
bail
bronx
homophobia
Ildefanso Mendez
suspects
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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