Arrests Made in Assault of Gay Couple at Olney Greene Turtle: Police

OLNEY, MD — Two men have been charged with assault tied to a fight sparked when the suspects reportedly used a slur about a gay couple's sexual orientation and poured water on one of the men at an Olney bar and restaurant, according to Montgomery County Police.

Authorities have charged Jose Luis Ledesma-Chavez, 24, of the 17700 block of Chipping Court in Olney and Hamdan Ibrahim Bibi Vincent, 24, of the 11400 block of Cherry Hill Road in Beltsville, for the Oct. 22 hate-based assault that occurred at The Greene Turtle bar and restaurant, 18101 Town Center Drive in Olney.

According to investigators, a group of four people were at the bar that included a married, same-sex male couple, while another larger group of men were sitting at a table across the room. At closing time, as members of the larger group began to leave the restaurant, Ledesma-Chavez reportedly walked up behind the group of four and poured water on one of the gay men and used a gay slur.

He then left the restaurant and people from both groups fought in the bar's parking lot. Ledesma-Chavez and Vincent each assaulted one of the gay victims, police said. After the altercation, the suspects fled from the parking lot in separate vehicles.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services took two men to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries suffered in the fight.

Detectives identified the two suspects in part by reviewing surveillance video from inside The Greene Turtle. On Oct. 28, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Ledesma-Chavez charging him with harassment of certain classes of persons and second-degree assault; an arrest warrant for Vincent charged him with one count of second-degree assault.

Ledesma-Chavez was arrested at his residence on Nov. 4. Police say he was released after posting a $2,600 bond.

Vincent was arrested Nov. 10 on the Montgomery County arrest warrant by troopers from the Maryland State Police. Bond information for Vincent is not available at this time.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at 240-773-5530. Callers may remain anonymous.

»Photos of Jose Luis Ledesma-Chavez and Hamdan Ibrahim Bibi Vincent, courtesy of Montgomery County Police