Police announced an arrest in a case of vandalism at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan's West Village.
Patrick Murphy, 25, of Denver, is facing a hate crime charge for the June 10 incident when about 60 flags were torn down from the fence, broken apart and thrown on the sidewalk.
The NYPD released surveillance video allegedly showing Murphy and two other suspects in the area of the monument on the night of the crime.
Investigators say they are looking into two other incidents during Pride Month. Similar crimes occurred on June 15 and 18, when again several flags that had been displayed were broken and torn down across the street from the Stonewall Inn — a place many consider to be the birthplace of the gay rights movement.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has been investigating all three incidents.
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Each of the incidents came as the Human Rights Campaign, the largest advocacy organization of its kind across the nation, declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. It's the first time in its more than 40-year history that the group has made such a declaration, pointing out the rise of legislation in statehouses around the country directed at regulating the lives of queer people.
