Gang member gets 10 years in prison for Brooklyn anti-gay attack
A reputed Bloods member who stabbed and punched two men during an anti-gay attack in a Brooklyn bodega will spend 10 years behind bars.
Christopher Clemente, 38, was sentenced Wednesday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun in connection with the assault which left two men with collapsed lungs on Sept. 4, 2021.
The victims, a 38-year-old man and 29-year-old man, were waiting for food in a bodega on Broadway near Halsey St. in Bushwick, when Clemente and two other men started mocking their sexuality, authorities allege.
“It’s Adam and Eve,” one of the attackers shouted, according to cops. “Not Adam and Steve!”
Clemente started punching the older victim in the face while an accomplice, Jonathan Carter, 33, struck the man with a glass liquor bottle and knocked him to the floor, prosecutors said.
Clemente kept attacking the man, repeatedly stabbed him in the head and body with a screwdriver, and then he and the third attacker — who remains at large — chased the younger victim.
He grabbed the 29-year-old, punching and stabbing him as he continued to yell out homophobic slurs, prosecutors said.
The attackers called one of the victims, who identifies as gay, a “f----t,” and yelled, “We’re not with that gay s—t!”, law enforcement sources said.
The older victim was stabbed in his body, head an buttocks, and suffered a collapsed left lung. The younger man was so badly injured both of his lungs collapsed, and he was hospitalized for 13 days.
Clemente surrendered to police after the NYPD released surveillance photos from the attack. He has nine unsealed prior arrests dating back to 2005, including for assault and burglary, cops said.
He pleaded guilty to attempted murder as a hate crime on Jan. 25.Clemente, who was held on $150,000 bail since his arraignment, must also serve five years of supervised release once he’s done his time.
Carter’s case is still pending. He’s free on $10,000 bond, and is scheduled to return to Brooklyn Supreme Court March 9.
“This vicious attack on two innocent victims was an intolerable act of anti-gay violence, and today’s sentence sends a strong message that we will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits a hate crime,” Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez said Wednesday. “Nobody should fear that they’ll be attacked because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and we are committed to vigilantly protecting the rights of Brooklyn’s LGBTQ community.”
