Conviction overturned in Hasidic gang attack on gay black man
Not even scientific evidence could convince a higher court to uphold the conviction of the lone perpetrator who went to trial for a brutal gang assault against a gay black man.
During the early morning hours of Dec. 1, 2013, Taj Patterson, then 22, was walking home through Williamsburg after partying with friends when more than a dozen men pounced on him.
That group — including some members of the Shomrim volunteer security patrol — falsely accused Patterson of vandalizing cars on Flushing Avenue.