NYC man indicted on hate crimes charges in alleged antigay beating at Harlem subway station

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg secured an indictment of a 26-year-old man on hate crime charges. The prosecution is moving forward after a years-long gap between Tavaughn Thompson, a Bronx resident, allegedly beating a man while hurling anti-gay slurs at a Harlem subway station, and his arrest earlier this year.

“New Yorkers deserve to be safe using our transit system without fear of violence, discrimination, or harassment,” Bragg said in a press release.

New York police say Thompson and a 27-year-old man were both riding the A train on Dec. 29, 2023, before exiting at a station in West Harlem near 125th Street and Eighth Avenue. Officials said Thompson then punched the victim several times, bruising the left side of his face. Prosecutors say Thompson shouted anti-gay slurs before the attack and continued doing so while assaulting the man, according to Bragg’s office.

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Authorities say the violence only stopped after a bystander intervened and separated Thompson from the victim, who was transported to a hospital for treatment.'

More than two years passed before the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force completed its investigation into the alleged attack. Police announced Thompson’s arrest in February, and he was arraigned in criminal court later that month.

The New York Post reports Thompson was initially arrested in connection with an unrelated incident before investigators identified him as the suspect in the earlier assault. The New York Daily News reported Thompson allegedly became violent after believing the victim had taken his photo without permission.

Police have not publicly identified the victim.

Bragg’s office said Thompson was indicted on two counts of third-degree assault as a hate crime and one count of second-degree aggravated harassment.

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“As alleged, Tavaughn Thompson targeted a stranger because of their perceived sexual orientation in an unprovoked, bias-motivated attack,” Bragg said.

“Our Hate Crimes Unit is committed to protecting the safety and dignity of Manhattanites by holding accountable those responsible for these harmful acts, and I urge anyone who has been a victim or witness to a hate crime to report by calling 212-335-3100.”