Police: NYC Street Gang Attacks Teenage Recruit and 2 Others for Gay Sex

NEW YORK (Oct. 8) -- Seven suspected members of a Bronx, N.Y., street gang have been arrested and charged with anti-gay hate crimes for sadistic sexual attacks on two 17-year-old boys, including one aspiring gang member, and a 30-year-old man, police say.

The beatings -- which involved two episodes of sodomy, with a broom handle and bat, respectively -- were reportedly sparked after the suspects cornered the teen who wanted to join their gang (who they had already beat as a part of an initiation ritual) and tortured him further into revealing that he and the other teen had engaged in gay sex with the older man.

"I can confirm that seven people have been arrested and charged with anti-gay hate crimes and that a gang that identifies itself as the Latin King Goonies was involved," a New York Police Department spokeswoman told Surge Desk. "But I have no other information on the arrest at this time."

The police told Surge Desk that an update would be released shortly explaining the situation in more detail. The details of the complex chain of attacks were released by Commissioner Raymond Kelly this afternoon at a hastily convened press conference at NYPD headquarters. Kelly told reporters that police are still seeking to apprehend two additional suspects in connection with the crimes. In total, the nine suspects are facing charges of assault, sodomy, robbery, unlawful imprisonment and abduction -- all as hate crimes.

The New York Daily News has a detailed rundown of the attacks. WARNING: Includes graphic descriptions of sexual violence. Reader discretion is advised. Read it here.

According to the paper's timeline, there were at least three distinct episodes of violence and multiple locations around the Bronx beginning Sunday and continuing until late that night.

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That's the same day that another anti-gay attack on a single individual took place across the city, at the historic Stonewall Inn bar in Manhattan (sometimes referred to as the "birthplace" of the modern gay rights movement).

In that episode, a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, allegedly beat the 34-year-old gay-identifying victim in the bathroom of the bar after telling him, "Don't pee next to me, f----t," and asking him for money, which he refused to give them. Both suspects have been charged with hate crimes, which their lawyer says he will fight, while the victim has spoken out about the incident on his blog.

At this time, no connection has been made between the Stonewall Inn attacks and those in the Bronx.

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