Flatbush Man Indicted For ‘Hate Crime’ Beating On Q Train
Today, 27-year-old Antoine Thomas was indicted on charges of assault as a hate crime for allegedly punching a woman in the face and knocking her unconscious while shouting homophobic slurs on a Brooklyn-bound Q train in May.
“Brooklyn is a model of inclusion and diversity where bias and bigotry will not be tolerated,” said Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “This defendant’s alleged actions were an attack on everyone’s right to be who they are, and to love whom they choose.”
According to the investigation, Thomas approached the victim and her girlfriend on a Brooklyn-bound Q train at Union Square, on May 21 around 7:30pm.
Thomas reportedly shouted anti-gay slurs like, “I’m going to swing on the dyke,” a police spokesperson told BKLYNER. He then punched the victim in the face, according to court documents, when the train rolled into the Dekalb Avenue station in Brooklyn.
The unconscious victim was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital where she was treated for a concussion, nasal fracture, a contusion and eye lacerations requiring eight stitches.
Thomas tried to flee the crime scene by walking between cars but was arrested after a conductor called the police. If convicted on the top count, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
