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A New York City man has been indicted on hate crime charges after prosecutors say he attacked a 12-year-old boy with a belt while repeatedly calling him gay at a Lower East Side playground.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday that Kevin Maxwell, 37, faces charges including second-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated harassment. Maxwell, a Brooklyn resident, was arrested on July 5.
According to prosecutors, the boy was with friends at Baruch Playground in the New York City Housing Authority’s Bernard M. Baruch Houses on April 29 when Maxwell approached him and warned him to watch his property so it would not be stolen.
Related: NYC man indicted on hate crimes charges in alleged antigay beating
When the child did not respond and instead continued humming and singing to himself, Maxwell allegedly called him “stupid” and made an antigay remark.
Prosecutors say Maxwell then left the playground, entered a nearby building and returned several minutes later carrying a belt. He allegedly struck the boy with it, cutting his shoulder, while repeatedly calling him “gay.”
The district attorney’s office did not say whether the child identifies as LGBTQ+. Hate crime laws cover attacks motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.
“Hate crimes undermine the values of dignity, safety and inclusion that define our city,” Bragg said in a statement. “As alleged, Kevin Maxwell violently attacked an innocent and vulnerable child — a stranger — while directing hateful language at him.”
Related: Defendant charged with killing gay NYC dancer denies hate crime motive at trial
The indictment follows another anti-gay hate crime prosecution announced by Bragg’s office this year. As The Advocate previously reported, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Tavaughn Thompson in May over an alleged 2023 attack at a Harlem subway station, where prosecutors say he punched a stranger while shouting anti-gay slurs.
The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force investigated the case, Bragg's office said.
