A Washington, D.C. Superior Court judge on January 10 sentenced a 16-year-old man to one year’s probation after pleading guilty to a single count of simple assault in connection with an October 27 attack in which up to 15 police officers attacked him. Ta. A gay man and some of the attackers at the DC McDonald’s restaurant at 14th Avenue and U Street, N.W., shouted anti-gay slurs.
The Washington Post publishes exclusive coverage of the sentencing after reporters were allowed to attend juvenile court hearings, which are closed to the public and media, on the condition that the boy’s name not be revealed. did.
Prosecutors said in a court hearing that a week after the attack, the boy, accompanied by his mother, met with D.C. police, admitted to participating in the attack, and was arrested, the Post reported. “The young man said he was intoxicated at the time and did not remember much of his actions,” the Post reported.
The victim, Sebastian Tomas Robles Lascaro, 22, told police and the Washington Blade in a statement from her husband, Stuart West, that the attack occurred around 1 a.m. inside a McDonald’s store. He said it started when one of the women accused him. For not saying “excuse me” when he passed her in a crowded restaurant.
As he walked away from the woman, more than 10 people began assaulting Lascaro, according to Lascaro’s testimony relayed by West. “So they started punching him in the face and all over his body, and eventually they moved outside the McDonald’s on the sidewalk in Washington, D.C., where more people got involved and they started punching and assaulting him. ” West said.
Lascaro was taken by ambulance to Howard University Hospital, where she recovered from multiple bruises and cuts to her face, head and body, was treated and released the next day, her husband said. Police listed the incident as a suspected hate crime.
There were no immediate arrests, but police released photos taken from McDonald’s surveillance cameras of the seven suspects, and media outlets released photos that appeared to all appear to be juveniles. In a statement on November 6, police announced that they had arrested a 16-year-old male juvenile on suspicion of serious bodily harm in connection with the assault the previous day.
During a Jan. 11 hearing, D.C. Attorney Gabriel Rogalio played two security videos that captured the exterior portion of Lascaro’s Oct. 27 attack at McDonald’s, according to an article in the Post. That’s what it means. “The young man charged in the attack was clearly identified because he was brandishing a tiki-torch-like pole and was seen hitting Mr. Lascaro in the head with it,” the Post article said. Ta.
According to the article, the boy pleaded guilty to one count of simple assault in an arrangement with prosecutors. It said the boy repeatedly apologized to Lascaro, who was watching the hearing via video connection while standing next to his public defender.
“I would like to express my sincere apologies to the victims and their families,” the newspaper said. “I was not raised to behave that way by my mother,” the Post quote continues. “I’m sorry. I’m not a criminal. I’ve shown people love, respect, and kindness. I’m sorry for the emotional and physical damage I’ve caused.”
The Post article also quoted from a statement Lascaro submitted to the court and read aloud by prosecutors. Mr Lascaro’s husband, Mr West, sent a copy of the statement to the Blade.
In a statement, Lascaro said she moved to D.C. from her native Colombia in 2023 after marrying her husband because D.C. is “very open and welcoming to people like me who are gay and proud.” I felt like I was there,” he said. She added that while she didn’t feel safe in her home country, “here I felt safe to be myself, dress the way I wanted, wear makeup and just live my life.” .
“After the attack, everything changed,” he said in a statement. “I don’t feel safe anymore. I don’t feel like I can be myself without looking over my shoulder,” the statement continues. “It’s hard to explain in words how much psychological damage this has caused me. The bruises are gone now, but the fear and trauma is still there every day.”
The Post reported that prosecutors said they agreed to a one-year suspended sentence because the boy had no prior arrests. At the prosecutor’s request, Judge Charles J. Willoughby Jr. ordered the boy to be placed under GPS monitoring, “regularly attend school, and submit to unannounced drug and alcohol testing as appropriate.” They agreed to include this in the sentencing.
Judge Willoughby described the assault on Lascaro as “vicious and unprovoked” and told the boy “he needs to distance himself from the other boys who took part in the attack on Lascaro”, the paper said.
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Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
