A gay man said Shake Shack workers beat him up after he kissed his boyfriend inside the fast-food restaurant in Washington, D.C., over the weekend — and the beatdown was recorded on cellphone video.
Christian Dingus, 28, told NBC News he and his partner and friends were at a Dupont Circle location Saturday night after placing an order.
‘I’ve been … thinking of progress and how great that community is here, and then for that all to kind of be shattered, you know, kind of sucks.’
“And while we were back there — kind of briefly — we began to kiss,” Dingus told the news network. “And at that point, a worker came out to us and said that, you know, you can’t be doing that here, can’t do that type of stuff here.”
Dingus told NBC News he and his partner separated — but his partner also got upset at the employee and said he and Dingus had done nothing wrong. Dingus’ partner allegedly was then escorted out of the restaurant, after which a heated verbal argument ensued, the news network reported.
Dingus added to NBC News that when he defended his partner and told employees to not speak to his boyfriend that way, the workers who went outside focused their attention on him.
“And then one of the men, pretty forcefully, like, pushed me out of the way on my shoulder,” Dingus told the news network. “And then, you know, next thing I know, that kind of just, I think, sparked the rest of them. … They all just kind of started attacking me at that point, dragging me back through the floor and continuously punching me in my head.”
More from NBC News:
Video of the alleged assault taken by a Shake Shack patron and later given to Dingus appears to show a man being shoved as two others in black Shake Shack T-shirts punch at his head. Two more people appear, also in Shake Shack shirts, but it’s unclear what follows.
The clip is 30 seconds long, recorded through windows from inside the restaurant. It does not show what led to the alleged assault or include audio of the men outside.
You can view an NBC News video report here that shows the cellphone clip of the attack as well as an interview with Dingus.
“There was a desire to be violent towards me, and I think it’s very evident in that film,” Dingus added to the news network.
Dingus told NBC News he wasn’t sure who broke up the attack as he was on the sidewalk curled up to protect himself. But he added to the news network that a female customer came out to help him, and someone who recorded the attack offered him a video of the incident.
Hate crime
Police are investigating the case as a hate crime, NBC News reported, adding that a copy of the police report classifies it as a simple assault with an anti-gay bias motivation. The document indicates an officer wrote that Dingus reported being assaulted by multiple people, the news network said, adding that an unnamed suspect said he was defending himself after Dingus put his hands on the person’s neck.
A Shake Shack spokesperson said that the involved workers have been suspended pending further review and that the company is cooperating with authorities, NBC News reported. The spokesperson added that Shake Shack is “committed to taking the appropriate actions” based on the investigation’s outcome, the news network added.
Dingus told NBC News he went to an emergency room after the attack and was diagnosed with a concussion and trauma to his jaw; he added to the news network that the side of his face was swollen and bruised.
More from NBC News:
Dupont Circle is considered one of Washington’s popular and trendy neighborhoods and is advertised as being queer-friendly. Destination DC, an organization that markets the city’s tourism destinations, even lists Dupont Circle locations in its guide to a “Best LGBTQ+-Friendly Weekend.”
The incident has shaken Dingus’ sense of safety, and he said he wants to see the perpetrators held accountable.
“You hear all the time that this stuff happens, but, you know, I started kind of believing that it didn’t, right?” Dingus added to the news network. “I’ve been … thinking of progress and how great that community is here, and then for that all to kind of be shattered, you know, kind of sucks.”
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