Man who brutally assaulted two gay men outside Brooklyn bar now faces up to 15 years in prison

On September 23 of this year, 25-year-old Brandon McNamara chased after two men while muttering anti-gay slurs as they exited a popular gay bar in a Brooklyn neighborhood. When he caught up to them, he punched one of the men in the face, knocking him unconscious. He then grabbed the other man and threw him into a tree, knocking him unconscious as well.

The two victims, one 30-years-old and the other 29-years-old, also suffered broken bones, according to NBC News.

This week, McNamara was charged with “second-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree menacing as a hate crime, second-degree aggravated harassment and other related offenses,” NBC News reports.

“He just sucker-punched me and was a drunk a–hole,” the 30-year-old victim, who asked not to be identified, told The New York Post in September.

Although McNamara fled the scene of the attack, authorities began circulating images of him taken by a bystander, which prompted him to turn himself in to police on September 26.

Via NYC Police

“This defendant allegedly assaulted an innocent couple simply because he perceived they were gay,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “Crimes that target individuals because of their sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or other identity are a threat to everything we stand for here in Brooklyn. The defendant has now been indicted and we intend to seek justice for the victims.”

McNamara’s since-deleted LinkedIn page showed that he was employed as a senior consultant at the multinational professional services company Ernst & Young. After his arrest was made public, the company announced that they were suspending him “pending the active investigation of this matter.”

“The alleged conduct is abhorrent to all EY stands for including our culture of diversity and inclusion. We refer all inquiries to the local authorities,” a spokesperson for the company told The New York Post in September.

McNamara was released this Wednesday on a $15,000 bail after being charged assault, menacing and harassment — all hate crimes. He’s expected to return to court on January 16 and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Featured image via screen grab/YouTube

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.