NEW YORK — Police in New York City have arrested five men — ranging in age from 16 to 21 — in the latest in a series of attacks on gay men in the city.
Kevin Kiadii, 25, said he was kicked and punched repeatedly Wednesday night in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park by the group of five men, who yelled anti-gay slurs at him and a friend.
“I’ll kill you, faggot,” one of the men said, according to Kiadii.
The gang injured Kiadii’s finger, scratched his arm and face, and bruised his shoulders and ribs before police arrived. They were charged with with gang assault, according to court records.
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Kiaddi, a professional makeup artist, is one of the alleged victims of Kevin Clash, the former Sesame Workshop puppeteer of the popular Elmo character accused of sexually abusing him when he was a minor.
In another incident earlier in the week, police said the victim, a 27-year-old man, was attacked while talking to another man on a subway train in Brooklyn, reported NY1.
They men allege that the attacker approached them, made anti-gay remarks towards them and punched the victim twice in the face. He fled towards the back of the train, according to police.
So far this year, there have been some 30 gay bias attacks in the New York City, more than double for the same period last year.