Teen arrested, more suspects sought in alleged hate crime against Colombian model
WASHINGTON - D.C. police have arrested a 16-year-old boy and are searching for additional suspects in connection with the assault of a 22-year-old Colombian model, who claims he was targeted in a hate-motivated attack in D.C.'s U Street corridor.
Police say the incident occurred early Sunday, Oct. 27, around 1:42 a.m.
Officers responded to reports of an assault in the McDonald's on 14th Street, Northwest, where they found the victim, identified as Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro.
He reported being attacked by multiple individuals outside a McDonald’s while enduring homophobic slurs.
According to his spouse, who also spoke to police, the group physically beat him, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries.
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A 22-year-old Colombian model was allegedly attacked in what he describes as a hate-motivated assault outside a McDonald's in the U Street corridor early Sunday.
Lascarro was taken to Howard University Hospital, where he was treated for a busted lip, scrapes, and bruises.
His spouse, Stuart West, expressed deep concerns about his husband’s mental health following the attack.
"I fear for his mental health," West said. "We’ve had conversations about whether D.C. is safe for us and whether the United States was the right choice."
The incident has raised concerns in the LGBTQ community, with West voicing frustration over what he described as inadequate initial support from emergency personnel and police. He claims that EMTs dismissed the severity of the assault and that it wasn’t until he contacted the D.C. police LGBTQ liaison that the case was flagged as a hate crime. (GoFundMe for Lascarro)
The police report was later updated to note the use of homophobic slurs during the assault.
The Metropolitan Police Department announced Wednesday that a 16-year-old from Northwest D.C. was arrested and charged with assault with significant bodily injury. Investigators are still working to identify other individuals involved, who were captured on nearby surveillance footage.
Police are investigating the offense as "potentially being motivated by hate or bias," though officials cautioned that the designation could change as the investigation proceeds and that a police designation of a hate crime does not guarantee prosecution as such.
A GoFundMe has been created for Lascarro's recovery.