Four Arrested in Hate Crime on Deer Park Avenue

Four men were arrested by Suffolk County Police for assaulting two men while using sexually oriented slurs in Babylon Village on Sunday morning.

The four men – Gregory Gilbert, 20; Shane Buckley, 18; Nicholas Battaglia, 18; and Justin Buckley, 17, all from Oceanside – were walking on Deer Park Avenue near the Park Avenue Laundromat at around 3:30 a.m. when the group asked two men for directions to the Long Island Rail Road station.

According to police, the group of men proceeded to punch, kick and shove the two men while using sexually oriented slurs against the men based on their suspected sexual orientation.

A witness to the assault called 911 and police arrived soon after.

Gilbert, Battaglia and Shane Buckley were all charged with two counts of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime and Gang Assault in the Second Degree. Justin Buckley was charged with two counts of Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime.

The two victims were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where one is still listed in serious condition. The other victim was treated and released.

The investigation is on-going and led to the crime scene seen outside of the Park Avenue Laundromat on Sunday afternoon.