Police: Incident at Norwalk gay bar was not a hate crime – Thehour.com
NORWALK — Police say an assault occurred at a local LGBTQ bar last month in what the establishment’s owners have characterized as a hate crime.
But Norwalk police said Tuesday the incident is not being investigated as a hate crime, and described it as “isolated” altercation between the owners and an intoxicated patron.
Norwalk Police Lt. Terry Blake said officers responded to the incident at the Wall Street bar Troupe 429 on Sept. 23. Blake said the patron assaulted a person after being asked to leave by management. In the ensuing fight, he said the patron was also injured.
Blake said police are waiting for the court to approve an arrest warrant.
According to a post made Tuesday on Troupe429’s website attributed to Casey Fitzpatrick, who co-owns the bar with his husband Nicholas Ruiz, the apparent assailant came into the bar during a drag show and “repeatedly harassed and made several female patrons and our staff uncomfortable.”
According to the post, the man allegedly made “disparaging statements about the bar and the people inside it,” and used “derogatory and anti-LGBTQ words.”
As they were escorting him out, Fitzpatrick claims the man attacked Ruiz and then assaulted him before police arrived.
Fitzpatrick shared a photo on the website of Ruiz, showing him in a hospital bed with a large bloody gash under his right eye.
However, Blake said police found no evidence of a hate crime.
“Our department watched several videos from the body-worn, on-the-scene body cameras, in which there was no mention of any racial, religious, ethnic, or sexual orientation language or indication of any anti-LGBTQ motivation behind the assault,” Blake said. “However, we ask any witnesses who may have further information to come forward to be interviewed by the police department during this ongoing investigation.”
In his web post, Fitzpatrick criticized how the police department has handled the investigation.
“The psychological harm that this assault has caused is significant and we demand justice,” he wrote.
Since the post was made, Blake said police made multiple attempts Tuesday to contact Troupe429 management, including the person who was assaulted, to “discuss any concerns they may have.”
“Since the date of the incident, the department has been conducting all the necessary steps within the investigative process, including obtaining video evidence from inside the bar and attempting to get sworn statements from the two victims, who did not show up for their appointments,” Blake said. “Despite the lack of statements, the warrant was submitted and is in the review process.”
Fitzpatrick did not respond to Hearst Connecticut Media Group’s request for comment on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mayor Harry Rilling said the city and police department “take these matters very seriously.”
“All aspects of the investigation are being fully investigated and will be reviewed by the court prosecutor,” Rilling said. “We cannot comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigation, but the City of Norwalk has no tolerance for violence and will share the results of the investigation once it’s complete.”
Anyone with additional information can contact Norwalk police at 203-854-3111.