Teens Arrested In Connection To Assault Of Gay Couple In Washington, DC

Three teens were arrested Monday in Washington, D.C., for the assault of a gay couple.

The assault occurred while Karl Craven and his boyfriend Braden Brecht were out barhopping early Sunday morning. The pair left Hawthorne’s restaurant and were on their way to Nellie’s, a popular gay sports bar in the area. While walking, a group of teens began yelling at them as they walked arm-in-arm.

“He was leaning against me and a few guys started yelling ‘faggot’ at him and started to swing at him,” Craven said on a GoFundMe page set up to help the couple recover. “It was all a quick blur but next thing you know there was literally a mob of 15 guys beating him. They came out of nowhere and I was powerless to stop them, all I could do was jump on him to try to protect him and scream help.”

The couple was reportedly beaten by the group for several minutes before they stole Craven’s wallet and his boyfriend’s phone. Craven’s boyfriend also received the more serious injuries from the attack, getting a chipped tooth, a black eye, and a busted lip that required multiple stitches.

“He doesn’t have insurance and can’t afford the ER and tooth repair bills,” Craven wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Any help would be greatly appreciated.”

The page had raised over $14,000 as of Monday afternoon.

The three teens were subsequently arrested later that day on charges of robbery by force and violence. One of the suspects was identified as 19-year-old Marcus Britt while the other two teens did not have their names released, but were revealed to be ages 15 and 16. All three are originally from Fort Washington, Maryland.

An investigation is still being conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department and sexual orientation is being looked at as motivation according to department spokeswoman Alaina Gertz.