Man Charged With Hate Crimes For Shouting Homophobic Slurs And Pulling Knife On Subway Rider

BED-STUY – Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Wednesday that a 72-year-old man has been indicted on charges of menacing as a hate crime, criminal possession of a weapon, and other offenses for allegedly yelling homophobic slurs at a passenger on an ‘A’ subway car and threatening him with a knife.

At approximately 8:50am on Wednesday, August 9, the victim boarded a Manhattan-bound ‘A’ train at the Broadway Junction subway station in East New York when Flatbush resident, Arnold Moody, began verbally harassing and threatening him, according to the investigation.

Moody shouted homophobic slurs, saying, “You’re a [expletive deleted]. Why are you standing like that? I’m going to cut you.”

Moody continued yelling at the victim, and when the train pulled into the Nostrand Avenue subway station, followed the victim off the train and onto the subway platform while brandishing a knife. Several plainclothes police officers on the subway platform saw Moody holding the knife and apprehended him, according to the announcement.

Moody was arraigned yesterday at Brooklyn Supreme Court. He is charged with second-degree menacing as a hate crime, third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and second-degree aggravated harassment. Moody is being held on bail of $15,000 bond or $10,000 cash and is due back in court on October 18. He could face up to two to seven years if convicted.

“In Brooklyn, everyone regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or religion must be free to walk the streets and ride the subways without fear for their safety,” Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said. “Brooklyn’s beauty and strength lies in its diversity and we will not tolerate hate crimes of any kind.”