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Man charged in Tony Hunter death back in jail

Robert Hannah arrested for alleged assault, drug possession

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Robert Hannah

Robert Hanna. (Washington Blade file photo)

Strained relations between the LGBT community andĀ prosecutors over a 2008 assault near a D.C. gay bar that led to the death of gay Maryland resident Tony Randolph Hunter resurfaced last week following the arrest of the man implicated in the Hunter case on unrelated charges.

D.C. resident Robert Hannah, 20, who served six months in jail in connection with the Hunter case, was being held in jail this week for an arrest last month for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.

The United States Attorneyā€™s office asked a D.C. Superior Court judge to hold Hannah in custody on a misdemeanor assault charge, which it listed as an incident of domestic violence, following Hannahā€™s arrest earlier this year on a separate charge of possession of marijuana.

Hannah was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a status hearing. A judge was expected to decide whether he should continue to be held or be released while awaiting trial on the assault charge.

His latest arrests drew the attention of LGBT activists, who expressed outrage in July 2009 when a grand jury lowered the charge against Hannah from manslaughter to misdemeanor simple assault for his role in Hunterā€™s death.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneyā€™s office said they could not support a manslaughter charge, let alone a first or second-degree murder charge against Hannah, because the evidence in the case didnā€™t support those charges.

Police and prosecutors stated in court papers that Hannah punched Hunter in the face as the two crossed paths on the street. They said the “altercation” occurredĀ while Hunter and a friend were walking from their car to BeBar, a gay bar on 9th Street, N.W. near the D.C. Convention Center that has since closed.

According to court records, Hannah told police at the time he was arrested in the case that he punched Hunter in self-defense after Hunter touched his crotch and buttocks in a sexually suggestive way. A witness on the scene backed up Hannahā€™s claim of being groped, the police report said.

However, a friend of Hunter, who said he was walking with Hunter at the time of the assault, said Hunter never touched Hannah and that Hannah and two or three other men assaulted him and Hunter in an unprovoked attack.

For nearly a year, LGBT activists criticized police and prosecutors for appearing to accept Hannahā€™s version of what happened. They said Hannah appeared to be invoking the so-called ā€œgay panicā€ defense, in which criminals who attack gay men claim to have been sexually propositioned as an alibi.

Hannah, then 18,Ā accepted an offer by the U.S. Attorneyā€™s office to plead guilty to the simple assault charge. A judge later sentenced him to the maximum penalty of six months in jail for that charge.

Shortly before the sentencing, the U.S. Attorneyā€™s office released a 14-page sentencing memorandum explaining its decision against pursuing charges of murder or manslaughter against Hannah. Among other things, the document noted that an autopsy found that Hunter was intoxicated at the time of the assault. It said the D.C. medical examiner found that a facial injury that Hunter received from being punched by Hannah was superficial and did not seriously injure him.

According to the police and medical examinerā€™s report, Hunter fell against a fence after being punched and stood up on his own before losing his balance and falling backwards to the ground, hitting his head on the pavement. The force of his head hitting the pavement caused a fatal brain injury that led to his death, the medical examiner concluded.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Flynn, who prosecuted the case against Hannah, told a November 2009 community meeting organized by the local group Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) that the medical examinerā€™s report would have been used by the defense in a trial. Flynn said a jury would almost certainly have found Hannah not guilty of murder or manslaughter based on that evidence, especially the medical examinerā€™s assertion that Hunterā€™s intoxication from alcohol contributed to a loss of balance that led to his fall to the pavement.

Flynn stated in the sentencing memorandum that Hunterā€™s friend, who claimed the attack by Hannah was unprovoked, gave a series of conflicting statements to police that raised serious questions about his reliability as a witness had the case gone to trial.

GLOV official Christopher Farris disputes Flynnā€™s claim that the friend was unreliable, saying conflicting statements about a traumatic event that led to Hunterā€™s death shouldnā€™t be dismissed and could have been helpful at a trial. Farris questioned the U.S. Attorneyā€™s office and D.C. police for failing to more aggressively pursue leads to determine whether Hannah and others who were with him targeted Hunter as a gay man.

Residents in nearby neighborhoods knew gays were arriving and leaving the area to patronize BeBar, which was well known as a gay club, Farris and other activists said.

Shaw neighborhood activist Ricky Williams, who alerted activists and the media about Hannahā€™s latest arrests through a series of e-mails, called on the U.S. Attorneyā€™s office to vigorously prosecute Hannah in the current two cases.

ā€œThere is no reason why a man thrice charged with violent crimes should be able to walk the streets of my neighborhood as if nothing ever happened,ā€ he said in one e-mail. ā€œHow many more people must suffer before anyone does anything about Mr. Hannah?ā€

Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Kemp, who is prosecuting Hannah in the current two cases, called on community members to submit to the court community impact statements at the appropriate time to explain how Hannah may have had a negative impact on the community.

William Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneyā€™s office, said community impact statements are submitted only if and when a defendant is convicted of a crime and is about to be sentenced by a judge.

ā€œIf he is convicted, the statements would be helpful in advance of sentencing, giving the U.S. Attorneyā€™s Office and the court additional information that could be useful,ā€ Miller told the Blade. ā€œOf course, all defendants are presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.ā€

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District of Columbia

Activists hold chalk art protest at McDonaldā€™s after anti-gay assault

Police say victim attacked, beaten by 15 people for not saying ā€˜excuse meā€™

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Local gay activist Joey Minervini and two others drew supportive messages in chalk at the site of an anti-gay attack. (Photo courtesy of Joey Minervini)

Local gay activist Joey Minervini and two others used chalk to draw LGBTQ supportive messages on the sidewalk outside the McDonaldā€™s restaurant at 14th and U Streets, N.W. at 9 a.m. Sunday Nov. 3, one week after D.C. police say a gay man was attacked and assaulted by 15 men and women at that McDonaldā€™s while shouting the word ā€œfaggot.ā€

Police say they are investigating the Oct. 27 assault against Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, 22, that Lascarro has said began inside the McDonaldā€™s at about 1 a.m. when one of the attackers, a woman, criticized him for not saying ā€œexcuse meā€ when he walked past her.

ā€œHe ignored her, and he walked away,ā€ Lascarroā€™s husband, Stuart West, told the Washington Blade. West said his husband told him the woman then called him a faggot and her friends, who were mostly men, blocked the exit door at the McDonaldā€™s, preventing Lascarro from leaving and about 10 of the attackers began to punch him repeatedly in the face and body.

He was taken by ambulance to Howard University Hospital, where he was treated for multiple cuts and bruises before being released the next day.

Minervini released a series of photos he took of the Nov. 3 chalk protest, a few of which show the words ā€œEXCUSE ME We All Belongā€ drawn in rainbow colored chalk on the sidewalk in front of the McDonaldā€™s entrance. Other messages they drew on the sidewalk included, ā€œWe all belong here,ā€ and ā€œD.C. For You And Me,ā€ with a drawing next to it with fingers making the peace sign.

Joining Minervini for the protest was D.C. artist and muralist Chelsea Ritter-Soronen, who operates a local chalk art and mural business called CHALK RIOT, Minervini told the Blade. He said one of his friends, Darren Pierre, also participated in doing the chalk art drawings.  

Minervini said most passersby, including customers entering and leaving the McDonaldā€™s, appeared to be supportive of the protest, with some taking pictures of the chalk drawings.

ā€œThe vibe there was positive,ā€ he said. ā€œSome people were unaware of what we were doing, so I explained to them a gay man was attacked for apparently not saying ā€˜excuse me.ā€™ So, thatā€™s why we were chalking the words ā€˜excuse meā€™ to reclaim the phrase,ā€ Minervini said. ā€œWe were doing it there to reclaim the space a little bit.ā€

He said he did not see any of the McDonaldā€™s employees come out to look at the drawings up until the time the three ended their chalk art action about 10:15 or 10:30 a.m. Minervini said he and a friend walked past the McDonaldā€™s around 5 p.m. Sunday evening and the chalk drawings were still on the sidewalk.

D.C. police have listed the attack against Lascarro as a suspected hate crime. But they have not provided an update on their investigation, including whether investigators have interviewed McDonaldā€™s employees who were present during the attack or whether they have requested video footage from the security cameras at the McDonaldā€™s.

West, Lascarroā€™s husband, said the ambulance took Lascarro to the hospital before police arrived and police officers first spoke to Lascarro about the attack at the hospital rather than at the scene of the assault.  

ā€œThankfully, he has been recovering from his injuries, the scrapes, cuts, bruising and swelling have all started to heal, but I fear the real damage canā€™t be seen,ā€ West said in an updated message in a GoFundMe posting he set up to help defray the costs of Lascarroā€™s medical expenses.

ā€œUnfortunately, after this incident, heā€™s battling with many emotions including anxiety, depression, fear of leaving the house and worse, questions whether D.C. is the right fit for him,ā€ West says in his posting.

West told the Blade Lascarro, who goes by his middle name of Thomas, is a recent immigrant from Colombia who has permanent U.S. resident status. He said Lascarro had been at the nearby gay bars Crush and Bunker before stopping at the McDonaldā€™s on his way home.

(Photo courtesy of Joey Minervini)
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District of Columbia

D.C. police investigating anti-gay assault at 14th & U McDonaldā€™s

In separate incident, gay man found unconscious near Florida Avenue bar

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Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro was attacked at a McDonaldā€™s at 14th and U streets. (Photos courtesy of Stuart West)

D.C. police are investigating an incident in which a group of as many as 15 men and women allegedly assaulted a gay man while some of them called him a ā€œfaggotā€ at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27,  at the McDonaldā€™s restaurant at 14th and U Streets, N.W., according to a police report and the victimā€™s husband.

The report, which lists the incident as a suspected hate crime, says the victim, Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, was taken to Howard University Hospital for treatment. A police spokesperson said he was released from the hospital the next day.

A GoFundMe page posted by Stuart West, Lascarroā€™s husband, who said Lascarro goes by his middle name Thomas, states, ā€œMedical bills, therapy costs, and ongoing recovery needs will continue to increase and any help to ensure he gets the care he needs to regain his health and peace of mind will be a blessing.ā€

The GoFundMe message adds, ā€œThomas was attacked by a mob who used hateful, derogatory language targeting his identity as a gay man. This horrific hate crime left him hospitalized overnight, facing serious physical injuries and emotional trauma.ā€

In response to an inquiry from the Blade about the 14th and U Street incident, a D.C. police spokesperson disclosed that a man whose friends identify him as gay was found unconscious on the ground suffering from a head injuryĀ about 5 a.m. also on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the intersection of 5th and T Streets, N.W. just off Florida Avenue near the gay bar Uproar.

A police report lists the case as a robbery but doesnā€™t say how the injuries he suffered to his head happened. And like the case of the gay man attacked at the McDonaldā€™s, friends of the man found unconscious posted a GoFundMe page identifying the man.

ā€œBryan Smith (aka the barber) recently suffered immense trauma to his head and will be hospitalized for the foreseeable future,ā€ it says. ā€œBryan is a dear friend and a pillar in the D.C. queer and nightlife communities,ā€ the GoFundMe appeal says. ā€œAny amount of donations would be greatly appreciated to go towards the upcoming expenses he will incur.ā€

One of the friends who posted the GoFundMe told the Washington Blade they would have no further comment at this time. However, D.C.ā€™s Fox 5 News reports members of Smithā€™s family said he remains in a coma, with D.C. police saying they have video footage of two possible suspects who reportedly took Smithā€™s phone and wallet containing credit cards.

Although people who knew Smith said he had worked for many years as a hairstylist, the Fox 5 News report says he had recently been serving as a DJ. It points out that police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the perpetrators responsible for Smithā€™s robbery and assault.

West, the husband of Lascarro, when contacted by the Blade, said Lascarro, 22, had been at the nearby gay bars Crush and Bunker, and he stopped at the McDonaldā€™s on his way home. West said the assault began inside the McDonaldā€™s, which was crowded with customers. He said the police report correctly states that Lascarro told police the incident began when one of the attackers, a woman, criticized him for not saying ā€œexcuse meā€ when he walked past her.   

ā€œHe ignored her, and he walked away,ā€ West told the Blade, adding that the woman then called him a faggot and her friends, who were mostly men, blocked the exit door at the McDonaldā€™s, preventing Lascarro from leaving and demanded that he apologize to the woman.

ā€œAnd when he said he was not going to apologize and he raised his hand to try and move the door to get out, thatā€™s when more than 10 individuals started to assault him,ā€ West said. ā€œAnd so, they started punching him all over his face and body, and it eventually moved to outside the McDonaldā€™s on the D.C. sidewalk, where more people got involved and started hitting him and assaulting him.ā€

At one point when Lascarro was sitting on the ground, ā€œbloodied, dazed, and confused, they decided to throw drinks and trash at him,ā€ West said. He said when two people walking by asked him if he needed help, Lascarro was able to dial 911 on his phone, and an ambulance arrived minutes later, which took him to the hospital.

ā€œThey performed a full CT scan and thankfully there were no critical injuries discovered,ā€ West said. ā€œSo, the only injuries are bruises and scrapes and cuts and a very sore jaw,ā€ he said, adding that the head injuries have caused his husband to suffer migraine headaches.

West said he later visited the McDonaldā€™s and asked two supervisors if they would release to him a copy of the video surveillance camera images from their security cameras from the night of the attack. He said the two declined his request but said they were cooperating with the police investigation.

D.C. police officials have said investigators routinely obtain video camera footage from businesses or from city security cameras along public spaces such as parks or streets when investigating crimes.

Police have said anyone with information that could lead to the identification of the perpetrators involved in the crimes targeting Lascarro and Smith should contact police at 202-727-9096.

The GoFundMe pages for the two men are here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-thomass-recovery-from-hate-crime

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-bryan-smiths-medical-recovery

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Alsobrooks leads Hogan in Md. Senate race: polls

Previewing regional races in Md., Va., Del.

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Democrat Angela Alsobrooks and Republican Larry Hogan are competing for a U.S. Senate seat that could determine control of the chamber. (Photos courtesy of the Baltimore Banner)

Polls indicate Prince Georgeā€™s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is comfortably ahead of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll conducted between Oct. 17-22 found Alsobrooks ahead of Hogan by a 52-40 percent margin. Alsobrooks, a Democrat, was ahead of her Republican rival by a 48-39 percent margin in a poll the University of Maryland Baltimore County conducted between Sept. 23-28.

Alsobrooks during an interview with the Washington Blade before she defeated Congressman David Trone in the May 14 primary said she supports the Equality Act. Alsobrooks also highlighted her support for Marylandā€™s marriage equality law that voters upheld in a 2012 referendum.

Hogan in 2018 signed a bill that banned so-called conversion therapy in Maryland. He criticized Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his stateā€™s ā€œDonā€™t Say Gayā€ law during a 2023 interview with CNNā€™s ā€œState of the Union.ā€

A bill that created the Commission on LGBTQ Affairs in the Governorā€™s Community Initiatives Office took effect in 2021 without Hoganā€™s signature. Hogan also did not sign a bill that banned the so-called LGBTQ panic defense in Maryland.

Hogan marched in this yearā€™s Annapolis Pride parade.

Campaign spokesperson Blake Kernan on Wednesday referred the Blade to the campaignā€™s final ad it released earlier in the day.

ā€œIā€™m not just another Republican,ā€ says Hogan. ā€œIā€™ll make your life more affordable, and support a womanā€™s right to choose.ā€

(video courtesy of hogan’s campaign)

Kernan defended Hoganā€™s record on LGBTQ rights in an article the Blade published on Aug. 7. Kernan in a May 22 statement criticized Alsobrooks over her comments about Hoganā€™s abortion rights record.

The Alsobrooks campaign on Tuesday told the Blade it is ā€œready to defend our Democratic Senate Majority, protect our freedoms, and fight for our families.ā€

ā€œAngela continues to travel across the state and can feel the enthusiasm and energy from all voters ā€” from young people concerned about the cost of living, women concerned about access to reproductive freedoms, seniors concerned about the cost of prescription drugs, and all Marylanders who want a future where their families can thrive,ā€ said the campaign in a statement. ā€œAngela is in this fight for every one of them, for every Marylander.” 

Democrat April McClain Delaney is running against former Maryland state Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) in the race to succeed Trone in Marylandā€™s 6th Congressional District.

A Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies poll conducted between Aug. 24-31 found Parrott ahead of Delaney by a 41-39 percent margin. A Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted between Aug. 6-11 found Delaney ahead of Parrott by a 42-40 percent margin.

Delaney, a former Commerce Department official who is married to former Maryland Congressman John Delaney, in her campaign ads has noted Parrott in 2005 said people who test positive for HIV should be tattooed. Parrott in 2014 led an unsuccessful effort to prompt a referendum on Marylandā€™s transgender rights law that then-Gov. Martin Oā€™Malley signed.

In Virginia, state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Loudoun County) is running against Republican Mike Clancy in the stateā€™s 10th Congressional District. The winner will succeed Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, who announced last September she would not seek re-election after doctors diagnosed her with an aggressive form of Parkinsonā€™s disease.

ā€œWhen I think about who will best continue my legacy and deliver real results for us in Congress, I can think of no one better than state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam,ā€ said Wexton in an Oct. 16 press release in which she and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) endorsed Subramanyamā€™s campaign.

Democrat Eugene Vindman is running against Republican Derrick Anderson for outgoing Congresswoman Abigail Spanbergerā€™s seat in Virginiaā€™s 7th Congressional District.

Spanberger is running for governor in 2025.

In Delaware, state Sen. Sarah McBride is poised to become the first transgender person elected to Congress. Democratic Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is also likely to become the first Black person to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate.

“There’s no one better to represent us in Washington, D.C., and in the United States Senate than Lisa Blunt Rochester,” said President Joe Biden in a recent endorsement.

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