Brooklyn man beats woman unconscious during anti-gay subway attack
Suspect could face hate crime charges for attacking a lesbian woman while yelling anti-gay slurs at her
Police in New York arrested a Brooklyn man who is accused of pummeling a woman on the subway into unconsciousness after getting in an altercation with her and her girlfriend.
Police arrested Antoine Thomas, 27, after he got into an argument with a lesbian woman over a seat on a Q train entering the DeKalb Avenue station at 7:30 p.m. last Saturday, reports the New York Daily News.
According to police, Thomas purposely bumped into the woman and her girlfriend while they were sitting and proceeded to yell anti-gay epithets at them, including, “Faggot! Dyke!”
When the victims asked him to calm down, he attacked them, repeatedly hitting one woman until she was unconscious.
The 24-year old woman was take to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital with a concussion, a broken eye socket and several cuts requiring stitches, officials say.
Thomas reportedly tried to flee the scene, but was detained and arrested by a transit cop.
Thomas, who faces charges of assault, menacing, and harassment, was released without bail following an arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Sunday.
The New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the attack. If they find enough evidence that Thomas was motivated by bias, he could be charged with hate crime enhancements on top of whatever sentence he receives for the assault.
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