Man Acquitted of Attacking Gay Men in D.C. Park
A federal jury found Michael Thomas Pruden not guilty of all charges related to assaults of gay men in Malcolm X Park.
A D.C. federal jury acquitted Michael Thomas Pruden, of Norfolk, Va., of charges related to attacks allegedly carried out against gay men in D.C.’s Meridian Hill Park in 2021.
Pruden was arrested in July 2022 and charged in connection to several attacks on men in Meridian Hill Park — also known as Malcolm X Park — a well-known gay cruising spot in the Northwest region of D.C., alongside 16th Street.
An initial indictment claimed that, between 2018 and 2021, Pruden had entered the park after sunset on multiple occasions and allegedly assaulted his victims by spraying them with a chemical irritant.
He was also accused of pretending to be a U.S. Park Police officer and would shine a flashlight in the men’s faces. He would give them police-style directives before spraying them.
As reported by D.C.-based CBS affiliate WUSA, this most recent verdict marks the second time that Pruden, a former Maryland elementary school teacher, has been acquitted of assaults in the D.C. area.
In 2021, Pruden was charged in connection with an alleged assault at Daingerfeld Island in Alexandria, another popular cruising spot for men seeking men.
In that case, he was charged with intent to do bodily harm for allegedly attacking another person with pepper spray and a tree branch. But a jury in the Eastern District of Virginia acquitted him of the charge that same year.
On September 27, following two days of deliberation after a trial, jurors found Pruden not guilty on multiple counts of assault and impersonating a federal officer, as well as a hate crime enhancement. A seventh count was dropped last week before the trial.
Regardless of Pruden’s acquittal, the details of the attacks as stated in his initial indictment illustrate the potential dangers that those who engage in cruising can face.
They can be physically attacked, pepper-sprayed, or even killed, often by people who are intentionally targeting victims for other crimes, like robbery.
Besides physical attack, cruisers can also be arrested for trespassing (especially if done after hours) and face potential criminal charges of public lewdness, indecent exposure, and — depending on the state — be placed on a sex offender registry.
Although public cruising has largely fallen out of favor — primarily due to the emergence of hookup apps — it is still practiced by men who seek outdoor hookups as part of a fetish or thrill, closeted men, or those who don’t wish to spend money at a bathhouse.
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