TL;DR
- Kevin Maxwell was arrested just before 1 AM on Sunday 5 July.
- Police say the alleged attack happened on 29 April at Baruch Playground on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
- The case includes hate crime charges and Maxwell is being held on a $30,001.00 bond.
A 37-year-old man has been arrested in New York in connection with an alleged anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime involving a 12-year-old boy near a playground in Manhattan earlier this year.
Police said Kevin Maxwell allegedly approached the child outside a public restroom at Baruch Playground on the Lower East Side on 29 April, shouted anti-gay slurs at him and hit him with a belt, according to Pix 11.
The boy suffered minor injuries. Maxwell allegedly fled the scene and remained at large for several months.
He was arrested just before 1 AM on Sunday 5 July and charged with multiple offences, including two counts of hate crime assault, assault, acting in a manner injurious to a child, hate crime menacing and menacing, the New York Post reported.
Arrest records show Maxwell is being held on a $30,001.00 bond.
Police had released a sketch of the suspect last month as part of the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted as an alleged hate crime because of the reported anti-LGBTQ+ language used during the attack. Under New York law, hate crime enhancements can bring more severe penalties if a conviction is secured.
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Isabella Martinez
Isabella Martinez, known as "Izzy" to her readers, is a prominent journalist covering legal and criminal justice issues, with a focus on their impact on the LGBTQ community. A graduate of Harvard Law School who transiti…
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