Brooklyn hate crime: Suspect sought for attacking man at L train station with anti-LGBTQ slurs and fists

Hate crimes detectives are on the hunt for a bigoted man who hurled anti-gay slurs and assaulted a man on the L train in Brooklyn last weekend.

The NYPD released on Thursday images of the suspect wanted for the hateful attack, which occurred at 5 a.m. on Jan. 18 near the Lorimer Street stop in Williamsburg.

Police said the suspect confronted the victim, a 24-year-old man, on a Manhattan-bound L train and uttered statements described as anti-LGBTQIA+ language. The NYPD did not release specific details of what was said.

Authorities reported that the victim then departed the train, and the bigoted perpetrator followed him off. Seconds later, the suspect displayed a knife and then proceeded to punch the victim multiple times in the head and body.

Police said the suspect confronted the victim, a 24-year-old man, on a Manhattan-bound L train and uttered statements described as anti-LGBTQIA+ language. The NYPD did not release specific details of what was said.

Following the assault, cops said, the suspect fled on a Manhattan-bound L train to parts unknown.

The incident was reported to the 94th Precinct and NYPD Transit District 33. Police said the victim suffered minor injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene.

The case was later presented to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force for further investigation. Hate crimes throughout the city dropped by 12% in 2025, according to NYPD statistics. Approximately 52 of the 576 hate crimes reported citywide last year were focused on sexual orientation; that represented a 38% drop from the 84 sexual orientation hate crimes reported in 2024.

As for the Jan. 18 case, police described the suspect involved as a man with a dark complexion who was last seen wearing a black sweater, black pants and a black knit hat. He is pictured on video walking through an L train car with what appeared to be a gray duffel bag.

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Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.