NEW YORK — Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the attack and brutal beating of a gay journalist on a New York City street.
They say Leighton Jennings was arrested without incident at a residence in Queens shortly before midnight Tuesday. The 24-year-old faces felony assault charges.
Police say that Randy Gener, 45, was on his way home from a party in midtown Manhattan in the early hours of Jan. 17 when he was attacked, brutally beaten and left for dead in a pool of his own blood.
The attack occurred just one block away from his apartment.
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Police did not include additional hate crimes charges against Jennings, but police said the possibility of anti-gay bias in the attack is still under investigation by the NYPD hate crimes unit. His wallet, phone and gold necklace were not taken.
Gener underwent brain surgery as a result of injuries sustained in the attack. Relatives say he remembers little about the attack and faces additional surgery.
Gener is an award-winning arts journalist who has worked for several national media outlets including the New York Times, the New York Daily News and other major publications.