Gay Asian man, parents attacked in D.C.’s Observatory Circle area
Suspect shouted, ‘faggots,’ ‘You are not Americans!’
Sean Lai, 30, an out gay man of Chinese ancestry, was beaten earlier this month. He is shown here at his graduation ceremony at Georgetown University, where he received his doctorate degree last year in physics.
A gay Chinese man and his parents were attacked and beaten about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7, on the 3700 block of Fulton Street, N.W. near the National Observatory by a male suspect who called them “faggots” and shouted, “You are not Americans!,” according to charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court.
The charging documents show that D.C. police, who arrived on the scene as the incident was unfolding, arrested Patrick Joseph Miller Trebat, 38, on one count of Felony Assault, two counts of Simple Assault, and one count of Destruction of Property. A police incident report lists the assault as a suspected hate crime.