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Everything We Know About Suspected NYC BBQ Attacker, Including That He’s Gay
Earlier this month we reported on some truly disturbing footage of an apparent gay bashing at Dallas BBQ in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.
Jonathan Snipes, 32, and his boyfriend, Ethan York-Adams, 25, were beaten over the head with a wooden chair, thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked by two men shouting anti-gay slurs.
A few days later, police released video footage of the suspect, Bayna El-Amin, and there were early rumors suggesting he is gay.
Since then, more details have emerged about El-Amin.
Here’s what we know:
- The rumors appear to be true.
Gawker dug up El-Amin’s Facebook page, which is listed under an “alias variation of his birth name,” which points to El-Amin being engaged to another man.
Below is a screenshot of an Instagram post of the two (the other man’s identity has been protected), captioned “Bear & cub.”
Here’s an engagement announcement El-Amin posted in February 2014:
- El-Amin is described as a “career criminal” by NYPD, and has served serious prison time for forgery and credit card fraud in Georgia.
- Animal reports that until recently, El-Amin listed on his Facebook page that he was working “Personal Security for Sketchie ENTertainment,” a nightclub promotion company.
- The “hate crime” element will be a complicated issue to dissect. El-Amin reportedly called the couple “white faggots” before and during the attack. Gawker spoke with Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg, who said, “Even if the victim or the aggressor share the same characteristics, that’s not going to answer the question of whether what happened here was a hate crime. It’s going to be about the motivation.”
- El-Amin has not been apprehended, and police believe he has fled the state.
Dan Tracer
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