DC Police Continue Investigation of Gay Men Being Beaten at ShakeShack By Employees
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DC police continuing to investigate alleged anti-gay attack at Dupont Circle Shake Shack
D.C. police are investigating an attack at a Shake Shack in Dupont Circle as a hate crime.
WASHINGTON - D.C. police are investigating an attack at a Shake Shack in Dupont Circle as a hate crime.
The attack that was caught on video took place at the Shake Shack in the 1800 block of Jefferson Place, NW, in Dupont Circle on Saturday around 6:15 p.m.
FOX 5 had the chance to speak with the victim, who tells us he and his partner ordered food and while they were waiting on their order in the back, things took a turn. Christian Dingus, a gay man, believes him and his partner were attacked because of their sexual orientation.
"It didn’t feel like we were doing anything wrong," Christian Dingus told FOX 5. "Now there is a mini-riot on the side of the restaurant."
In the video, you can see a number of what appear to be Shake Shack employees kicking and punching a man.
He says it all started as a verbal altercation between his partner and the employees that spilled outside and turned physical within seconds. Dingus says the employees started pushing and shoving his partner before jumping on him.
"At that point three to four other employees — I jumped in was like, ‘hey leave him alone.’ I was worried for his safety. I was pushed and then next thing I know all of them jumped on me, starting punching me in the face and my head. I dropped to the ground," Dingus said. "I don’t know why they continued."
He tells FOX 5 it's been difficult processing everything that happened on Saturday. He did go to the hospital and tells us he suffered a concussion as well as scars and bruises on his face.
He says he moved to Dupont because, historically, it's been a safe place for the LGBTQ community.
Shake Shack did provide a statement to FOX 5, saying, "We are aware of the incident on Saturday, Aug. 17 involving team members and a guest at our Dupont Circle location and are taking it very seriously. At Shake Shack, the safety and well-being of our guests and team members are our top priorities, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of violence. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation and have suspended the team members involved pending further review. We are committed to taking the appropriate actions based on the findings."
They tell us they are cooperating with the police and have suspended the team members involved in this attack.
Police say this investigation is active and ongoing.
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