Police say a 350-pound man made anti-gay comments to a fellow customer, then slashed the 22-year-old victim with a razor, at a McDonald’s in the West Village last night. The star-crossed site was also the scene of several brawls and another anti-gay attack within the past year.
The two men began arguing at about 8pm Wednesday when the suspect taunted the victim’s male partner, who was dressed as a woman, the Daily News reported. When the victim defended his partner and punched the heavyset perpetrator, the attacker by retaliating with a razor, cutting his face, back, neck and arm. He received stitches at Bellevue Hospital later that night. It was unclear whether the two parties knew each other prior to the argument.
Last March, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn asked Village residents to boycott the restaurant until the management could assure customers’ safety. “The first thing this McDonald’s needs to do is engage better security through the paid detail option that our police department offers,” Quinn said at the time, as quoted by DHAinfo.com. “Those are off-duty police officers trained in how to do this type of security. That will be a huge step forward, make a difference and be a show of good faith.”
Police did not say whether off-duty officers or civilian security personnel were monitoring the restaurant at the time of the attack.
The suspect in last night’s attack is said to be a black male, about 5’10” and between 300 and 350 pounds. If you have any information, please call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
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