A gay man said he was beaten by a Shake Shack employee at a Washington, DC, fast-food restaurant over the weekend after kissing his boyfriend, and the beating was recorded on cell phone video.
Christian Dingus, 28 years old, He told NBC News He, a partner and a friend were at the Dupont Circle store Saturday night after placing the order.
“I’ve thought about the progress that’s been made here and how great the community is, and it’s just such a shame that it’s all been shattered.”
“And when we were there, we started kissing, just briefly,” Dingus told the news network, “and at that point the workers came to us and said you can’t do that here, you can’t do that here.”
Dingus told NBC News that she and her partner had broken up, but that her partner was also upset with the staff and that she and Dingus had done nothing wrong. Dingus’ partner was then escorted out of the restaurant, after which a violent argument ensued, NBC News reported.
Dingus told NBC News that when he defended his partner and told employees not to talk to her boyfriend like that, employees outside turned their attention to him, adding that he was not able to talk to her.
“One of the guys tried to push me off my shoulders quite forcefully,” Dingus told the news network, “and then I think that spurred the others on. … At that point they all started attacking me, dragging me to the floor and hitting me in the head.”
More from NBC News:
Video of the assault, reportedly taken by a Shake Shack customer and later provided to Dingus, shows the man being shoved and then punched in the head by two men wearing black Shake Shack T-shirts, before two more men, also wearing Shake Shack T-shirts, appear to arrive and their subsequent actions are unclear.
The 30-second video was shot through a restaurant window and does not show the events leading up to the assault, nor does it include audio of the men outside.
You can watch the NBC News video report here here It includes cellphone footage of the attack and an interview with Dingus.
“There was a desire to commit violence against me and I think that’s very much expressed in that film,” Dingus added to the news network.
Dingus told NBC News he doesn’t know who stopped the attack because he curled up on the sidewalk to protect himself, but he added to the news network that a female customer came to his aid and that someone who was recording the attack provided him with video of the incident.
Hate crime
NBC News reported that police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, adding that a copy of the police report classified it as a simple assault motivated by anti-gay bias. The document cites officers writing that Dingus reported being assaulted by multiple people, the news network reported, adding that the unnamed suspect said he was defending himself after Dingus put his hands around his neck.
A Shake Shack spokesperson said the employees involved have been suspended pending further investigation and that the company is cooperating with authorities, NBC News reported. The spokesperson added that Shake Shack is “committed to taking appropriate action” based on the findings of the investigation, the news network added.
Dingus told NBC News he went to the emergency room after the attack and was diagnosed with a concussion and trauma to his jaw. He also told the news network that the side of his face was swollen and bruised.
More from NBC News:
Dupont Circle is considered one of Washington’s trendiest neighborhoods and is promoted as a queer-friendly place. Destination DC, an organization that promotes the city’s tourism destinations, states:The ultimate LGBTQ+ friendly weekend.”
Dingus said the incident has shaken his sense of safety and he wants the perpetrator to be held accountable.
“You hear about these things happening all the time, but I was beginning to believe that they weren’t happening, right?,” Dingus told the news network, adding, “I’ve been thinking about … the progress and how great the community is here, and to have that all dashed away is just a real shame.”
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