Alexandria gay couple claims neighbor shouted anti-gay, anti-Asian slurs at them
Neighbor's tirade, stemming from ongoing dispute over parking space, was captured on video by Ring doorbell camera.
A gay couple in Old Town Alexandria claims one of their neighbors spewed anti-gay and anti-Asian slurs at them after a long-running dispute over a parking space turned ugly earlier this month.
Kyle Metz and Leo Liu Metz, say their neighbors, Jim and Mary Wood, became enraged after trying to park their Tesla in the alley behind the houses around 9:30 p.m. on July 3. The Woods claim that a planter installed by the Metzes is too close to their property line and makes it impossible to park in their own parking spot. On the evening of July 3, Jim Wood allegedly hit the planter with his car and became enraged at his neighbors.
The Metzes say they heard the collision and went outside to see what had happened when the Woods began harassing them and yelling anti-gay and racist slurs at them. Video from the couple’s Ring doorbell camera shows Jim Wood screaming slurs at the men and trying to instigate a fight with Kyle Metz.
“C’mon butt buddy. Come over here, you old f—-t!” Wood is seen screaming on the video footage.
“What am I?” Kyle Metz said.
“Butt buddy,” Wood screamed back, before launching into a tirade punctuated with anti-gay and anti-Asian remarks.
When the Metzes called him out for using homophobic language, Wood countered, “Oh no, we love LGBT. I want you to [expletive] him every night.”
See also: Montana man gets cited for harassing gay neighbor over anti-Trump flag
The situation then escalated when Julia Kennedy, the Woods’ other neighbor, opened her window to tell Jim Wood to quiet down and stop harassing the Metzes.
“You fat-ass whore. Yeah, really. What’s your issue?” Wood screamed, moving over to the other side of his property. “I see you out the window having sex with your girlfriend all the time.”
“They said that they have multiple recordings of me in my apartment having sex,” Kennedy told CBS affiliate WUSA9. “People should be able to feel safe and comfortable in their own home. I just want it to stop.”
Leo Liu Metz claims this isn’t the first time the Woods have used anti-Asian slurs against him.
“They say I spread COVID. I spread social disease. I’m Asian and that was very hurtful,” he said.
Jim Wood told WUSA that Kyle Metz tried to punch him during the confrontation, but the alleged punch is not seen on videotape from the Ring camera.
The Metzes have denied the Woods’ accusations. The Metzes later posted footage from their Ring camera on social media because they fear for their safety and their neighbors’ safety. They also called the Alexandria Police Department, which is currently investigating the incident.
When confronted by WUSA9 about the accusations against them, Mary Wood said she and her husband are not prejudiced, and blamed the Metzes for the whole confrontation.
“We’re not anti-gay. As a matter of fact, on the tape, my husband says he loves LBGT. He just thought they were an embarrassment,” she said.
The Metzes have also gotten an emergency protective order against the Woods. The Woods say they plan to countersue.
See also:
New Jersey GOP governor hopeful Jack Ciattarelli rails against “teaching sodomy in sixth grade”
Wyoming biker bar sold T-shirts calling shooting gay people the “cure for AIDS”
Gay lawmakers want to block Chick-fil-A from New York’s highway rest areas
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
