13-year-old arrested over homophobic brick-throwing attack on gay couple

PinkNews logo with white background and rainbow corners

Two underage boys aged 13 and 15 have been arrested in New York over a homophobic attack.

The arrests came after a horrific attack on a gay couple in Williamsburg, New York at 6 PM on Monday evening.

The couple, identified by the New York Daily News as Tanner Gardella and Gino Boffa, were approached by two minors who shouted homophobic slurs.
13-year-old arrested over homophobic brick-throwing attack on gay couple
Mr Gardella and Mr Boffa, aged 25 and 26, challenged the youths after they were referred to as “faggots” for wearing skinny jeans.

The kids continued to refer to them using homophobic slurs, however – and pursued the couple down the street.

Boffa explained: “Then it went from 0 to 60. They shoved us and started spitting at us calling us ‘faggots.’ That’s when one of them picked up the brick.”

As the couple were escaping, they allege that one of the kids threw the brick, which hit Mr Gardella in the leg. Luckily, he was not seriously injured.

The couple called the police, who arrested the young thugs a few blocks away.

The pair were each charged with assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment.

They were charged as juveniles.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments