Man Indicted On Hate Crime Charges Over Anti-Gay Attack on Q-Train

By: Jack MacNamara, Staff Writer

BROOKLYN, NY — A 27 year-old Flatbush man Antoine Thomas, was indicted Monday on charges of assault and battery with a special circumstance put on as a hate crime after spewing anti-gay slurs at a couple aboard a Q train right before sucker punching one of the victims which resulted in the 24-year old woman being knocked out and requiring 9 stitches.

Antoine Thomas is now facing second-degree assault charges for his May 2017 alleged hate crime attack. According to the indictment, Thomas began hurling insults at the victim and her girlfriend over their sexual orientation after sitting next to them on the Q train.

At some point during the ride, Antoine Thomas allegedly bumped into the victim when the train made a sudden stop and then punched her in the face as the train pulled into the DeKalb Avenue station in Downtown Brooklyn.

Thomas attempted to exit the train by walking in between cars but was quickly arrested at the station. The 24-year-old woman was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for a concussion, nasal fracture, a contusion and eye lacerations requiring a total of nine stitches.

(Image of Antoine Thomas Courtesy of Jesse Ward/for New York Daily News))