Philadelphia officials said Tuesday
that charges have been approved for three people accused of taking
part in the beating of a gay male couple in the city's downtown
Center City neighborhood.
The couple told police that they were
rushed by a mob of 10 to 12 men and women after one asked them if
they were together. As a result of the beating, one of the victims,
28, was hospitalized for more than three days and had to have his jaw
wired shut.
District Attorney Seth Williams said
that the three suspects were being charged with criminal conspiracy
and two counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and
reckless endangerment.
“This vicious attack shocked the
entire country,” Williams said in a statement. “An assault on
people because of their sexual orientation has no place in
Philadelphia.”
Police said the three suspects were
Phillip Williams and Kathryn Knott, both 24, and Kevin Harrigan, 26.
Knott's lawyer denied her participation
in the assault and insisted it was not motivated by anti-gay bias.
The case is not being treated as a hate
crime because Pennsylvania's hate crimes law does not include crimes
motivated by a person's sexual orientation.