A Maryland man was arrested Thursday for allegedly assaulting men he believed were gay over a three-year period in a Washington, DC, park, officials said.
The indictment seeks a hate crimes sentencing enhancement because the man allegedly targeted four of the victims because of their perceived sexual orientation.
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) A Maryland man faces federal hate crime charges for allegedly posing as a federal officer and targeting gay men in a series of attacks at a Washington, D.C., park, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. Federal prosecutors allege that Michael Thomas Pruden, 48, assaulted five men with a "chemical irritant" at Meridian Hill Park on five separate occasions between 2018 and 2021. A federal grand jury indicted Pruden last month on five counts of assault on federal land, one count of impersonating a federal officer and a hate crimes sentencing enhancement "alleging that Pruden assaulted four of the victims because of their perceived sexual orientation," the Justice Department said. Meridian Hill Park is informally known in the D.C. community as "cruising" spot for gay men, according to the indictment. Pruden allegedly frequented the park at night on multiple occasions and assaulted men &q