NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Staten Island man was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday for a homophobic attack on an acquaintance in Brooklyn last summer, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Aaron Richard, 33, saw a 22-year-old man he knew outside Finest Smoke Shop & Deli on Ocean Avenue near Church Avenue in Flatbush around 5:45 p.m. on July 8, according to officials.
He shouted, “Yo, you f*****s got to go. Let’s get these f*****s out of here. You need to move off this corner,” before hitting the man in the face with a metal object.
When a second person tried to intervene, he hit the good Samaritan in the hand with the same object.
He was arrested on Aug. 30 and pleaded guilty to hate crime assault on March 15.
“Attacks victimizing the LGBTQ+ community have surged nationwide, and we have no tolerance for this abhorrent violence in Brooklyn,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for this senseless and unprovoked attack and sends a strong message that those who commit hate crimes will face serious consequences.”
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