3 Teens Arrested After Attack on Gay Couple in DC
The couple moved to DC just a month ago
By Jackie Bensen and NBC Washington staff
Published Jun 17, 2019 at 10:48 PM | Updated at 6:25 PM EDT on Jun 21, 2019
Carl Craven describes the split second in which a quiet moment with his boyfriend, Braden Brecht, turned into a blur of pain fueled by hatred.
Both remember hearing an anti-gay epithet assault their ears as a man began beating Brecht, and others joined in.
"This is such a vivid image; I just saw like 10 guys just beating him," Craven recalled. "And so, instinctively I just jumped on top of him and tried to shield him and was shouting, 'Help, help, help!'"
The attack happened on U Street NW near Nellie's Sports Bar on Sunday morning. Both men were also robbed.
Brecht, 21, was taken to a hospital by ambulance and treated in the emergency room. That bill alone is in the thousands of dollars. He doesn't have health insurance and may need more treatment.
"It hurts where I got hit, at the beginning right here," Brecht said, clutching the back of his neck.
Craven, who's in D.C. for an internship, set up a GoFundMe page to help with Brecht's expenses. The page has already exceeded its $10,000 goal. People have reached out from across the District and across the country.
"We've gotten like a flood of support from, I guess, the gay community, and also I'm a part of this fraternity at my school. A lot of support there," Craven said. "A lot of support from [Braden's] family and friends from his side, so we've gotten a lot of support."
The couple had moved here just a month ago for Craven's internship. Both have been thinking about what comes next, and whether their future is still here in D.C.
"Right now we're deciding whether or not we want to stay, because we're not sure," Craven said.
D.C. police have made three arrests. A 19-year-old man and two younger teens were arrested and face robbery charges. The charges have since been dropped.
None have been charged with hate crimes, but the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia's office said the case against the 19-year-old man has been "no-papered," meaning the government declined to file charges now but could bring charges against him in the future.
A Metropolitan Police Department press release says Marcus Britt, 19, of Fort Washington, Md., and two juvenile males at 1:44 a.m. “approached the victim” on the 1000 block of U Street, N.W., and “assaulted the victim.”
“The suspects took the victim’s property then fled the scene,” says the press release.
Karl Craven on Sunday wrote on a GoFundMe page that he and his boyfriend “were walking from Hawthorne’s to Nellie’s on U St (in DC) last night and we stopped to talk for a few minutes.”
“He was leaning against me and a few guys started yelling ‘faggot’ at him and started to swing at him,” wrote Craven. “It was all a quick blur but next thing you know there was literally a mob of 15 guys beating him. They came out of nowhere and I was powerless to stop them, all I could do was jump on him to try protect him and scream help. I don’t remember how long they kept beating him for. They stole his phone and my wallet. They chipped a major part of his front tooth and he had to get multiple stitches on his lip.”
Craven posted pictures that showed his boyfriend holding an ice pack to his head. Another picture shows him with a black eye and bloody gauze on his lip that had been cut.
“He doesn’t have insurance and can’t afford the ER and tooth repair bills,” wrote Craven on his GoFundMe page. “Any help would be greatly appreciated.”
The page has raised $6,760. The Washington Blade has reached out to Craven for additional comment about the incident.
The MPD press release says Britt and the two juveniles arrested in connection with the attack have been charged with robbery by force and violence. Lieutenant Brett Parson, who oversees the MPD LGBT Liaison Unit, confirmed the unit is involved in the case.
Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of attacks against gay men that have taken place in or near the U Street corridor over the last year.
Two gay men were attacked near the Third District police station on Sept. 16, 2018, by a group of men and women who shouted homophobic slurs at them. Two gay men were hospitalized on April 15, 2018, after three men assaulted them on the 2000 block of 10th Street, N.W.