Teen charged with hate crime after McDonald's attack

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A 16-year-old boy is in custody after allegedly attacking a man inside a Long Island McDonald's on May 28 in what police have described as a hate crime.

Police say the suspect was one of a group of individuals yelling comments about the sexual orientation of a 24-year-old man inside of the McDonald's located at 1420 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont at 3:55 p.m. The victim asked the group to stop, at which point the suspect began to argue with the victim and spat on him. 

Authorities say the pair were separated by restaurant employees, however the teen approached the victim again, punching and kicking him while making more comments about the victim's sexual orientation.

Officers say the suspect then ran away, was but located and placed under arrest without incident by officers from the Fifth Precinct. He has been charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime and will be arraigned on Wednesday, May 29.

Detectives are requesting that anyone with information on the incident call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. Police say all callers will remain anonymous.