Two teens arrested in assault that caused death of gay DJ Bryan Smith

Author: Trudy Ring

Two teenage boys have been arrested in connection with the violent robbery that led to the death of popular Washington, D.C., gay DJ and hairstylist Bryan Smith.

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Smith, known as “the Barber Streisand,” was found unconscious with severe head injuries near the gay bar Uproar in northwest D.C. around 5 a.m. October 27. He died overnight November 7-8. He was 39. He had just played a gig at an event called HellBENT at the 9:30 Club.

A 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were arrested Thursday, Washington TV station WUSA reports. Because they are minors, their names have not been released.

They are not charged with murder, at least not yet. Both are charged with three counts of robbery, as they are suspects in other robberies that took place the same night as the assault on Smith, Assistant Metropolitan Police Chief Ramey Kyle said at a press conference. Both are also charged with one count of assault with intent to commit robbery, plus unlawful use of a vehicle, fraud, receiving stolen property, and unlawful possession of ammunition. Further charges are possible.

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“For the last two weeks, our detectives have worked around the clock investigating these cases,” Kyle said. “They canvassed a wide area around each offense, uncovering video footage critical to identifying the suspects. We were also able to track cell phones taken in the robberies and monitor transactions made on stolen credit cards. All those efforts paid off early Thursday morning when our investigators closed in on a 14-year-old suspect.”

The 14-year-old was found sleeping in a stolen car and was then arrested. The 16-year-old was arrested later in the day.

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Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said Bryan Smith’s death is not being investigated as a hate crime. It also is not connected with the assault on gay model Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, 22, who was beaten by a group of people at a McDonald’s across the street from two gay bars the same night. They yelled homophobic slurs at him, and police consider the attack on him a hate crime, although that designation could change.

A 16-year-old was arrested November 5 in connection with the beating of Lascarro. The teen is charged with assault with significant bodily injury, WUSA reports. Police are looking for additional suspects.

Lascarro is recovering but still is suffering from the effects of the attack, his husband, Stuart West, told the station. Lascarro’s assailants “continued to verbally assault him using derogatory language, and not only that, they escalated to a different level,” said West, who was not with Lascarro at the time. “They threw trash at him, and they also dumped their drinks on him while he’s there bleeding, dizzy, confused, and alone.”

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Trudy Ring