Five suspects have been charged in connection with an attack on a gay couple in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood last month. Civil rights violation charges have not been sought, according to Boston police.
On Saturday, September 13, police responded to a report of a physical and verbal assault on River Street at about 7:45 p.m.
The victim told police he and his partner were walking to a convenience store when a group of men began shouting anti-gay remarks. The situation escalated, and one of the victims was struck in the head with a baseball bat, according to police.
When officers arrived, they found the man bleeding from the back of his head in a nearby parking lot across from a liquor store. He was treated at the scene before being taken to a hospital.
Five suspects charged with assault and battery
Following a comprehensive investigation, five suspects have been formally charged and arraigned in Dorchester District Court, police said Wednesday.
Woopenson Morisset, 30, of Boston, Maurice Payne, 37 of Brockton, and 53-year-old Patrick Fanfan of Hyde Park have been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.
Franklin Francois, 51, of Randolph, has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Gardy Exantus, 33, of Mattapan, has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.
The investigation was led by the Boston Police Department’s Civil Rights Division.
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