Police arrested a man they say was responsible for attacking two gay men at a Chelsea restaurant in May. Bayna-Lehkiem El-Amin, 41, was arrested on Tuesday on two counts offelony assault and attempted felony assault – but he was not charged with a hate crime.
El-Amin, who lives in the Bronx, is accused of attacking Ethan York-Adams, 25, and his boyfriend, Jonathan Snipes, 32, at the Dallas BBQ restaurant in Chelsea on May 5.
Metro previously reported the men were attacked after Snipes accidentally knocked over another man’s drink. El-Amin is accused of calling Snipes a gay slur, then attacking him and York-Adams with a chair before pushing them to the ground and kickingthem in the face. Part of the encounterwas captured on video that was later posted on YouTube. Snipes suffered ear damage, bruising and lost a tooth.
The incident was denounced as an act of “hate violence” by Council Member Corey Johnson, who represents Chelsea.
Police identified El-Amin in late May and have been looking for him since the attack. NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce previously called El-Amin a “career criminal.” In an interview with G-List earlier this month, El-Amin said he was gay and that he was just trying to stop the two men he allegedly assaulted from fighting with each other. The article appears to have been taken off the site.
NYPD arrest man in connection with Chelsea Dallas BBQ attack
Getty Images
