Two Brooklyn men charged with attempted murder for anti-gay stabbing attack

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FILE - File image of crime scene tape. (FOX TV Stations)

NEW YORK - A pair of men from Brooklyn have been indicted for attempted murder as a hate crime in connection to a brutal anti-gay attack on two people in Bushwick last month.

According to authorities, on September 4, two victims, a 36-year-old man, and a 29-year-old man were trying to buy food inside of a bodega, when they were brutally attacked and by two suspects who made anti-gay statements and stabbed them with a glass bottle and a screwdriver.

Police say that one of the suspects, Christopher Clemente, 37, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, repeatedly punched the 36-year-old man in the face. Another suspect, Jonathan Carter, 31, of Ocean Hill, then allegedly repeatedly struck the victim with the glass bottle, causing him to fall to the floor. Furthermore, police say that Clemente then repeatedly stabbed the 36-year-old in the head and body.

Finally, police say Clemente and a third suspect chased after the 29-year-old victim, grabbing him and Clemente repeatedly stabbed him while yelling homophobic slurs.

The attack left the victims with numerous injuries, including collapsed lungs.

"The two victims in this case suffered serious and life-threatening injuries in a completely unprovoked attack. The defendants’ actions were particularly egregious as they allegedly attacked two innocent people because they believed them to be gay. No one should be targeted because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or religion. We must all be able to safely walk the streets of our city without fear of being senselessly attacked," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

According to Gonzalez, the indictment charges the pair with attempted murder as a hate crime, attempted assault, and assault as a hate crime, among other charges.

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