A subject stole two gay pride flags from a bar located on the Upper West Side to later defecate on one of them and used the other to wipe his butt, this act the authorities will treat as a hate crime.
The man, believed to be in his 40s, entered Buceo 95, a tapas and wine bar located on W. 95th Street near Amsterdam Avenue around 10:00 a.m. on April 15, to rob gay pride flags from a vase.
He then went to the outdoor shed, put the flag on a table and defecated on it, police and a Diving 95 employee said.
Seconds later, the suspect wiped his butt with the second LGBTIQ+ flag he had previously stolen, the Daily News reported.
The bar bouncer, Enrique Trujillo, discovered the human waste while cleaning out the dining room shed. “I smelled something really bad,” he said.
“When I started cleaning near the corners, that’s when I saw it,” he said.
The subject carried out his disgusting act right under a security camera, Trujillo said.
The doorman said that his boss called the police that same day to report the incident.
“This here, this place is like your temple, it’s like your house… Can you imagine that I go to your house and then do that?” Trujillo said.
Authorities on Saturday released images of the suspect waiting for someone to recognize him. In addition, they offer a reward of $3,500 for finding out about his whereabouts.
He is described as a dark-skinned male, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and of a medium build.
At the time of the incident, he was wearing a wool cap, a dark jacket and light-colored pants. Likewise, he was wearing a black or dark slipper on his right foot and a white slipper on his left foot.
If the man is caught by police, he would face a charge of aggravated harassment as a hate crime, officials said.
Anyone in the public with information on his location is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
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