Bushwick Man Charged With Ridgewood Bias Crime
A 23-year-old Bushwick resident was arraigned on Tuesday, Oct. 23 after being indicted on a charge of assault as a hate crime for allegedly shocking a man in September with a taser while calling him an anti-gay slur, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced.
Joseph Desmond, 23, of Eldert Street, has been charged him with second-degree assault as a hate crime, second-degree assault, second degree aggravated harassment, and second-degree harassment.
Desmond first appeared in court on Oct. 11 and did not post the re ney. quired $20,000 bond. His next court date is Nov. 26.
According to the charges, on Sept. 25 at approximately 8:10 p.m., a 23- year-old man was standing at the intersection of Gates Avenue and Fairview Avenue when Desmond allegedly walked up to him, called him an anti-gay slur, pressed a taser to his torso and fled the scene. The victim, who sustained chest pains, called the police.
Desmond was later arrested that day in the courtyard of a nearby building.
“Crimes of hate-such as this random and senseless attack-will never be tolerated here in Queens County,” Brown said in a statement. “When they do, regrettably, occur, they will be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Every person has the right to feel safe to walk the streets without being harassed or assaulted based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Joseph T. Palazzolo II of the District Attorney’s Gang Violence and Hate Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Mariela Palomino Herring, Bureau Chief, and Michelle E. Goldstein, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Trials James C. Quinn.
It was noted that an indictment is merely an accusatory instrument and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
