Two men were arrested last weekend in connection with the brutal attack of a gay man last month, and one of the suspects is an employee at Voyeur Nightclub.
Matthew Morris, 27, and Miguel Maldonado, 32, were arrested Dec. 7 and charged with robbery, aggravated assault and related charges for the Nov. 10 attack on Nick Forte in the Gayborhood.
LGBT Liaison Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel confirmed to PGN this week that Maldonado is employed by Voyeur. It has been reported that Maldonado is a bouncer at the establishment, but Bethel was unaware of his job title.
Calls to Voyeur were not returned.
The incident took place near the club in the 200 block of South Camac Street and was caught on the surveillance camera of a local attorney’s office, which led to the capture of the two men.
Morris lives in the 300 block of Springhill Avenue and Maldonado in the 4800 block of D Street. Bail was set at $50,000 for each suspect and, as of presstime, Morris had been released on bail and Maldonado remained in custody at Curran-Fromhold.
Central Detectives last Wednesday released the video that shows Forte, 36, walking on the street at about 2 a.m. with a man walking next to him, allegedly Morris, appearing to engage him in conversation. A man, allegedly Maldonado, approaches from behind, carrying a flashlight, and strikes Forte on the head, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unconscious. The man who had engaged Forte in conversation then begins pummeling him while he’s unconscious. Both suspects fled, in different directions, on foot.
Forte, a former PGN employee, told the paper he had left ICandy and was going to hail a cab when he was attacked. The suspects allegedly stole his wallet, cell phone and diamond cross pendant. Forte was left with extensive injuries, including broken facial bones, nose and eye sockets.
Bethel said he was unsure if Morris and Maldonado were acquainted or what prompted the attack.
The surveillance video was key in securing the arrests, Bethel said.
“The neighborhood was very upfront and this case ultimately came down to people coming forward with information that led to their arrests,” Bethel said. “Once the video went out, everybody jumped in and helped out.”
Morris and Maldonado were charged with aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
Four days after Forte’s attack, a 29-year-old woman was beaten, raped and robbed in the 1200 block of St. James Street, near the earlier incident.
The victim described her attacker as a well-dressed black man with shoulder-length braids and a dark complexion. Bethel said the two incidents are not related, as was first suspected.
Anyone with information about the Nov. 14 incident should contact Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251.