BY JOSH TOWNER
A Middle Village resident has been indicted on hate crimes charges for shouting anti-gay slurs at, and then assaulting a gay couple in Brooklyn back in September.
Brandon McNamara, 25, of 70th Street in Middle Village was arraigned on Nov. 14 in Brooklyn Criminal Court on the indictment charging him with assault, menacing and aggravated harassment as hate crimes, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
McNamara was ordered to return to court Jan. 16, 2019. He faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of the top count, Gonzalez said.
According to law enforcement agents, McNamara allegedly called the victims, ages 29 and 30, a homophobic slur before knocking both men unconscious just after midnight on Sept. 23 in front of a Metropolitan Avenue location in Williamsburg.
The 30-year-old suffered a fractured and dislocated left shoulder, while the 29-year-old suffered a broken finger.
McNamara turned himself into police on Sept. 26 after the NYPD released an image of McNamara to the press in an effort to track him down, authorities said.
“This defendant allegedly assaulted an innocent couple simply because he perceived they were gay. Crimes that target individuals because of their sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, gender or other identity are a threat to everything we stand for here in Brooklyn. The defendant has now been indicted and we intend to seek justice for the victims,” said District Attorney Gonzalez in a statement.
