Christian Dingus, a gay man in Washington, D.C. says employees at a Shake Shack restaurant physically attacked him Saturday night after he gave his boyfriend a kiss inside the restaurant while waiting for their order. The alleged incident took place in Dupont Circle, long considered a gay-friendly area of D.C.
A gay man accused a group of Washington, D.C., Shake Shack employees of beating him after he kissed his boyfriend inside the location while waiting for their order. https://t.co/SHd2mLH2SC
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 19, 2024
From NBC News:
“And while we were back there — kind of briefly — we began to kiss,” Dingus said. “And at that point, a worker came out to us and said that, you know, you can’t be doing that here, can’t do that type of stuff here.”
The couple separated, Dingus said, but his partner got upset at the employee and insisted the men had done nothing wrong. Dingus’ partner was then allegedly escorted out of the restaurant, where a heated verbal argument occurred.
“And then one of the men, pretty forcefully, like, pushed me out of the way on my shoulder,” Dingus said. “And then, you know, next thing I know, that kind of just, I think, sparked the rest of them. … They all just kind of started attacking me at that point, dragging me back through the floor and continuously punching me in my head.”
Video of the alleged assault taken by a Shake Shack patron and later given to Dingus appears to show a man being shoved as two others in black Shake Shack T-shirts punch at his head.
Police are investigating the case as a hate crime and have classified the alleged incident as a simple assault, with an anti-gay bias motivation. Dingus was diagnosed and treated for a concussion and trauma to the side of his face at the emergency room. A spokesperson for Shake Shack, which regularly celebrates Pride Month on its social media, has said it is investigating the incident and suspended the employees alleged to have taken part.
Why are Dupont Circle @shakeshack employees beating this gay man? Some say it was an hate crime? Anyone know? @WashProbs @glaad this IS CRAZY. pic.twitter.com/cSCCrGcPYk
— Dito (@DitoDC) August 18, 2024
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