A Manhattan man was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 7, and charged with hate crimes for an anti-gay assault in Long Island City in late July.
Jonathan Santos, 33, of Chrystie Street on the Lower East Side, has been charged with three counts of assault as hate crimes and two counts of aggravated harassment as hate crimes, according to the NYPD.
Santos was riding a Queens-bound E train around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 3, when he allegedly made anti-gay statements before punching a 19-year-old man in his face multiple times, police said.
Upon arrival at the Court Square subway station, Santos then allegedly punched another 19-year-old man in the face, according to the NYPD.
When the E train pulled into Queens Plaza, the two victims fled. A third victim, a 32-year-old woman, attempted to intervene in the mezzanine area but was allegedly punched in the face by Santos, who then fled the station on foot.
All three victims suffered pain and swelling to their faces but they refused medical attention.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force investigated the attack and Santos was arrested in the confines of the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill on Tuesday morning.
