Boston Police cruiser — Photo: Ben Schumin / Wikimedia Commons
Police in Boston have arrested a teenager accused of threatening to “shoot everyone” in gay bars in the city.
The 16-year-old boy, whose identity has not been released, was arrested by officers from the Seabrook New Hampshire Police Department on Friday, Nov. 23.
According to a police statement, he was “wanted in connection to an investigation surrounding threatening phone calls which had been received at two Boston area bars.”
The statement continues: “At the time of his arrest, the suspect was wanted on outstanding warrants sought out of Suffolk County Juvenile Court for Threats with Serious Public Alarm and Civil Rights Violations in connection to that investigation as well as additional warrants stemming from other charges from outside jurisdictions.”
The bars in question were dbar in Dorchester and The Alley in downtown Boston, WCVB reports.
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The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office reported that the calls, made on Nov. 9 and 10, threatened to “kill everyone” and “shoot everyone in the bar.”
“The records also suggest calls made to several other Boston bars serving the gay community during the same time period,” the DA’s office said. “Investigators are following up with staff at those establishments to determine whether additional charges are warranted.”
At the time of the calls, Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross said that police “don’t take any threats lightly,” WHDH reported.
“Everybody should be able to enjoy any establishment that they wish to go into in the City of Boston,” Gross said. “Whether it’s The Alley or dbar, you should be able to enjoy yourself peacefully.”
In a statement earlier this month, Brian Piccini owner of dbar, said the bar received a “threatening and bigoted phone call.”
In addition to working with police, Piccini said the bar would “continue to show our defiance towards intolerance by not giving into threats by standing united at dbar. We will continue to work with the BPD to ensure a safe and friendly experience for all of our guests.”
The suspect, who appeared at the 10th Circuit Family Division of Portsmouth Court, is expected to face charges as early as Monday afternoon.
The Liberty Hotel, a luxury property in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood, has publicly apologized for ejecting a lesbian couple after a security guard mistook one of the women for a man and objected to her presence in the women's restroom.
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) announced that the hotel agreed to settle a discrimination complaint stemming from the incident. Under the settlement, the Liberty must make a $10,000 charitable donation to an LGBTQ organization, update its nondiscrimination policies and management training, post a nondiscrimination statement in its lobby, and formally apologize to Ansley Baker and her girlfriend, Liz Victor, reports GO Magazine.
Tyler Getchell of Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting and partially paralyzing his neighbor, Kyle McFarlane, during an argument over what Getchell believed was trespassing.
McFarlane told police he was gathering discarded furniture for a bonfire on November 22 when Getchell and his girlfriend came outside and yelled at him to get off their property, First Coast News reported.
According to the police report, video footage shows McFarlane standing on a property easement -- not on his neighbors' land -- just before the shooting.
Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud was arrested in West Palm Beach after allegedly trying to run down members of an LGBTQ running group during a meet-up in a local park. The Florida man faces two counts of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and one count of reckless driving.
El Mahmoud could also face hate crime charges or bias enhancements for allegedly targeting the group because of their sexual orientation.
According to West Palm Beach police, El Mahmoud allegedly took offense at what he perceived as a comment about his sexual orientation when a runner asked if he was at Howard Park for the "Night Runners West Palm Beach" group's regular meet-up.
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