Hate Crimes Target Gays During Pride Month

Police are searching for two men who tore down a Pride flag outside a Queens home. -Photo by NYPD

Pedicab Rider Spat in Woman’s Face, Made Anti-Gay Slur - Cops Say

Teens Tear Down Pride Flag from Home

By Dan Gesslein 

Manhattan Voice 

June 16, 2023

NEW YORK - Police are searching for three suspects in two unrelated hate crime cases against members of the LGBTQ community in two different boroughs.  

The first incident took place near Rockefeller Center on May 31. At around 6 pm a 27-year-old woman was walking in front of Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Cops say the woman got into a dispute with a pedicab driver who made anti-gay remarks to her. 

Police are looking for a pedicab driver who is acused of spitting in a woman's face and shouting anti-gay slurs. -Photo by NYPD

Then the driver spat in her face before riding off down 6th Avenue, investigators said. 

Police released what appears to be cell phone video of the suspect. The video not only shows the suspect’s face but also shows him riding away on his pedicab. 

The suspect is described as a male with a light complexion and slim build who is between the ages of 30 and 40. He was last seen wearing a navy-blue polo shirt, dark colored jeans, and black shoes. 

Police are searching for these two men in connection with theft of a Pride flag from a Queens home. -Photo by NYPD

In another attack on the LGBTQ community, police are searching for two young men who tore down a Pride flag hanging in front of a house in Queens. Door cam video shows the men walk up to a house in Fresh Meadows and aggressively pull down the Pride flag hanging in the front of the home. 

The violent way the attackers pulled down the flag caused damage to a fixture in the front of the house. 

The thieves then are seen walking south on 190th Street with the flag in hand. 

During the act of vandalism, the crooks were seen wearing hoodies and face masks covering their appearances. However, police also released photos of the suspects before the vandalism. Cops say the two males, whose faces were not covered in these photos, are the same people who stole the Pride flag. 

Investigators said the suspects are both in their late teens, with light complexions and thin builds.

Officials say the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

All calls are strictly confidential.