The NYPD hate crimes unit has arrested five individuals from Williamsburg’s hasidic community in the December 1 beating of a gay black man, 22-year-old Taj Patterson. Each hasid faces as much as 25 years in prison.
Taj Patterson after the beating
5 Hasidim Arrested In Beating Of Gay Black Man
Shmarya Rosenberg • Failedmessiah.com
The NYPD has arrested four five individuals from Williamsburg’s hasidic community in the December 1 beating of a gay black man, 22-year-old Taj Patterson, Yeshiva World reported.
Additional arrests are expected.
Today’s arrests were made by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit.
Patterson was walking home about 4:30 am after a party when he was stopped and beaten by a hasidic mob dressed in what eyewitnesses described as clothing linked to the hasidic Shomrim street patrol.
But despite many eyewitnesses, including a city bus driver and his passengers, and photographs taken of the assailants and the attack, the NYPD made not arrests.
When Failedmessiah.com contacted the NYPD last month and asked about the investigation into the case, officers did not even know the beating had taken place – despite widespread media coverage in December and January.
A reliable source told FailedMessiah.com last week that a grand jury had been impaneled approximately two weeks ago and had heard testimony about the beating.
Sources have also told FailedMessiah.com that the previous police commissioner, Ray Kelly, whose term ended at the end of December, had refused to act against the hasidic assailants or pursue the case despite the clear evidence against them. Kelly wants to run for higher office and, sources say, expects the support of the Satmar hasidic community when he does.
The hasidic assailants beat Patterson so severly he needed hospitalization. They also screamed anti-gay and anti-Black slurs, accoring to some reports.
Update 11:43 pm CDT – FailedMessiah.com was just told by a source that the last names of the four arrested hasidim, all allegedly Shomrim members, are Winkler, Fried, Hershkowitz Herskovic and Hollander Hollender.
Update 2:22 pm CDT – Fried is apparently Joseph Fried, who is under indictment for illegally taking photos of the teenage victim of Satmar pedophile Nechemya Weberman as she testified against Weberman in a Brooklyn court. The photos were then tweeted and emailed to newpapers and blogs from the courtroom in an attempt to intimidate the underage victim.
At this point, the charges against the four are apparently only assault charges and not hate crimes.
Update 2:34 pm CDT – The Daily News now reports the names of the for arrested Satmar hasidim as Aharon Hollender, 28, Abraham Winkler, 39, Mayer Herskovic, 21, and Joseph Fried, 25. All were charged with gang assault and other charges, a source told the paper, but no hate crimes – even though anti-gay slurs were shouted by the four men and others during the assault.
NYPD's commissioner, Bill Bratton, claimed the NYPD had "aggressively" investigated the crime – even though evidence appears to show that is false.
“I would point out that the department, from the very beginning, very aggressively investigated that crime as a very serious crime with incredibly serious injuries caused to the victim,” Bratton reportedly said.
Although the Daily News does not report it, many more Satmar hasidim – allegedly including more senior Shomrim members – were allegedly involved in the assualt but have not been arrested.
Update 3: 18 pm CDT – From the DA's office, the names, birthdates of the alleged assailants and the charges against them. Note that a 5th defendant, Pinchas Braver, is mentioned:
Defendant Information:
Pinchas Braver DOB 6/10/94
Mayer Herskovic DOB 12/2/92
Abraham Winkler DOB 7/4/74
Joseph Fried DOB 7/27/88
Aharon Hollander DOB 12/13/85
Charges:
Gang Assault in the First Degree
Gang Assault in the Second Degree
Assault in the Second Degree
Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree
Unlawful Imprisonment in the Second Degree
Assault in the Third Degree
Menacing in the Third Degree
They are all charged with acting in concert to commit Gang Assault in the First Degree along with the other charges and, if convicted, they each face as much a 25 years in prison.
Update 9:50 pm CDT – Braver was allegedly involved with a carjacking in Rockland County in 2012.
Related:
All Taj Patterson Beating Posts.
[Hat Tip: Seymour.]