A ninth suspect accused of attacking 3
gay men in the Bronx is expected to surrender to authorities on
Monday, NY1.com reported.
Ruddy Vargas-Perez, 22, is the
remaining suspect sought by police in connection with a
brutal anti-gay hate crime spree.
The nine suspects – who called
themselves the Latin King Goonies – went
on a rampage after learning that a 17-year-old aspiring member is
gay.
Eight of the members, three men and 5
teens, were arraigned on Sunday. Six are being held without bail.
The suspects have been charged with kidnapping, sodomy and robbery as
a hate crime.
Neighbors left flowers in front of the
Bronx apartment where the men were allegedly tortured, and one person
left a card asking for “prayers for healing – for our community.”
“It's a shame they were targeted
because they were gay,” one neighbor said. “I know people that
are gay. I'm not gay, but to each his own, you know? It's a shame,
all this hate in New York, it never goes away.”