Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« The Rosebud Is Closing | Michele Bachmann Is Totally Fine Wi… »

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Crime King County Prosecutor's Office Files Hate Crime Charges In Capitol Hill Attack

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 3:06 PM

Today, the King County Prosecutor's Office filed malicious harassment and assault charges against Raven Lang Brealan, who is accused of "yelling homosexual slurs" and attacking a man last Saturday night on Capitol Hill.

The man and a companion were walking down East Pike Street a few minutes before midnight on September 17 when Brealan approached them and began calling them "faggots," says a report filed by the Seattle Police Department. When the companion informed the Brealan that "he needed to understand that he was on Capitol Hill," Brealan allegedly punched the victim in the face, threatened him with a knife, then fled the scene. When the victim attempted to follow him, the report continues, the suspect allegedly threw a metal No Parking sign, again striking the vicim in the face.

Officers arrived on the scene to find the 34-year-old Brealan, who stands 6'2" and weighs 290 pounds, wearing a yellow golf hat and hiding in some bushes off Broadway Avenue, the records say. "The suspect told the officer he struck the victim because when he was flirting with the victim earlier in the evening he found out the victim had a penis," writes Detective Moore in charging documents.

When questioned, Brealan reportedly told police that "earlier that night while talking to what he thought was a woman... he, 'felt an erection.'" When he learned that the woman he was flirting with was actually a man, he became "very upset."

While Brealan was confused about the victim's gender, neither the police report or charging documents say if the victim is transgendered or dressed as a woman.

Regardless, the reporting officer notes: "[Brealan] repeatedly told me that he was not 'a faggot.' He told me that homosexuals put 'dicks in butts,' and told me that he didn't do that. [Brealan] became so upset, spitting and yelling homosexual slurs, that I was unable to learn what happened at the listed location."

The charging documents note that Brealan has a "lengthy criminal history which is multi-county in nature," including convictions in King County for theft, taking a motor vehicle, robbery, escape, assault, and burglary, among others. Brealan's arraignment hearing is set for October 5. He is currently being held in King County jail.

Updated with more records from charging documents.

FacebookShare

Comments (28) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Seattleblues had a tough night out...he does not like to feel erections.

Posted by slaggy

on September 21, 2011 at 3:19 PM

What the hell.

Posted by sikandro on September 21, 2011 at 3:21 PM

What do you want to bet this guy's a closet case? He was upset about the tranny because he was finally feeling attracted to a woman and then he finds out he's just getting another big gay boner.

Posted by I have always been... east coaster on September 21, 2011 at 3:21 PM

Sorry gang...I want this piece of shit to sit in a prison cell for 10 years and be someone's prison bitch.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on September 21, 2011 at 3:34 PM

"Confused about the victim's gender" ... I'm confused about the incompleteness of the story. Was the victim transgendered, in which case they are female, or was the victim a drag queen, in which case they may not even be gay, or transvestite, in which case you probably got all the wording right.

Posted by KittenKoder

on September 21, 2011 at 3:46 PM

full moon.

Posted by scary tyler moore

on September 21, 2011 at 3:48 PM

In before Seattleblues accuses us of selling out America over this.

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on September 21, 2011 at 3:51 PM

wow, a guy named raven calling someone else a faggot. glass houses, bird brain.

Posted by taint on September 21, 2011 at 3:56 PM

yeah because never has a straight person/couple had buttsecks, that would be gay!

Posted by high and bi on September 21, 2011 at 4:34 PM

Hey, is Michele Bachmann looking for a running mate?

Posted by maddogm13 on September 21, 2011 at 5:02 PM

Big words coming from a guy named Raven.

Posted by prompt on September 21, 2011 at 5:09 PM

12 Comment Pulled (No) Comment Policy

#8, #11

Gurgling with laughter.

Joe Flacco?

Never know...

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on September 21, 2011 at 5:46 PM

That guy needs to check the shoulder-hip ratio. Surest way of visually checking someone's biological gender.

Posted by venomlash on September 21, 2011 at 5:58 PM

Fascinating.

Is it possible The Raven is some real life superhero's arch-nemesis, or ... his secret sidekick?

Posted by RonK, Seattle on September 21, 2011 at 6:04 PM

i have never, not once in 23 yrs. of being intimately connected with the glbt community, been unable to instinctively know a bio male from a bio female. Even after surgery. But i have many hetero-identified friends, specifically male, who cannot. And that makes me wonder, about alot of things.

Posted by in the meantime on September 21, 2011 at 7:28 PM

@14 Nope, not so sure. There are at least three people I know of personally in the Seattle area alone that defy that.

Posted by KittenKoder

on September 22, 2011 at 6:12 AM

@16 The pheromone studies may one day answer that, so far there's little to go on though. However, even one who has been around the trans community a LOT can still be mistaken. There is far less natural difference between the two genders physically than most people realize, and the few true differences visible to most people can be altered through hormonal treatments. The reason most people cannot usually tell is because they are looking for stereotypical "tells", and many of those are not even close to accurate. Take the "Adam's apple" for example. If you look closely, women do have it as well, it's not as prominent in most cases but ever few hundred or so will have one that's quite large, while every few hundred men will not have a very visible one at all. Many features thought to be associated with a particular gender often have to be learned or exaggerated in some way, and are actually more prominent in the other gender, like the "walk" for example. Voice is something that is neutral in many people, and they actually practice (without knowing it) at mimicking others of the same gender to get it to sound more like the one expected. The biggest difference in voice is actually how soft the words are spoken and what words are used in conversation more than actual pitch. There are many men and women who seem to be naturals at fitting into the other gender role, though most of them tend to work extra hard to fit into the genetic gender instead. The myth of "wide hips are for birthing" is another good example, wide hips can also serve purposes suited to the male role, so it's not uncommon for men to have them as well. Broad shoulders are usually because of muscle build, not the actual bone structure, which can be altered with hormone treatment. The thing is, because of the phobia of being considered the "other" gender, most people will not share (sometimes even blocking the memories of) being mistaken for the other gender. Gender roles, identities, and genetics is a fascinating study in depth, and the more one learns on the subject, the more one realizes that society's stereotypes shape how we perceive each other and ourselves far more than nature has.

More...

Posted by KittenKoder

on September 22, 2011 at 6:27 AM

@16: It's called selection bias, asshole.

Posted by count the hits, ignore the misses on September 22, 2011 at 9:06 AM

@18: "Phermone studies" haven't shown much success, humans are simply not as phermonally driven as other animals.

Posted by studies are not liable to magically find evidence on September 22, 2011 at 9:07 AM

@18: Okay, obliviousovaries, shoulder broadness is a function of the length of the clavicles and first few sets of ribs. It's a bone thing, not a muscle thing; I have fairly broad shoulders, and no amount of working out could change it if I didn't.
If you're looking at muscular shoulders rather than broad shoulders, no wonder you can't accurately apply the shoulder-hip ratio test.

Posted by venomlash on September 22, 2011 at 9:33 AM

@16: "i have never, not once in 23 yrs. of being intimately connected with the glbt community, been unable to instinctively know a bio male from a bio female"

A small sample set, and the aforementioned selection bias will make everyone superguessers.

Under stricter controls, 100% success rates fall to pieces.

Posted by undead ayn rand on September 22, 2011 at 10:45 AM

He was released on 9/20! No Bail! What gives!!?!?

Posted by boomer_134 on September 22, 2011 at 11:11 AM

oops, didn't see the $50,000 bailbond...

Posted by boomer_134 on September 22, 2011 at 11:30 AM

@20 Note I said "may", it's difficult to see when humans actually break free from their instincts since they give into them so often. ;) However, there may be a connection somewhere we have yet to see. Just have to wait and see.

@21 Since i don't "out" people to the public, I can't prove it, but there are ALWAYS exceptions to EVERY rule, and I know at least three (for certain) who do break that shoulder-hip rule. Now, unless you want to assume I know every single human in the world, it's safe to say there are many more who do break that rule which I do not personally know. The only way to know 100% for certain is with DNA testing, and that's not something people should be concerned with. Really though, if two people are attracted to each other, why is it that important what they are? If you are attracted to someone, do you really care what chromosome they have? I would hope not.

Posted by KittenKoder

on September 23, 2011 at 5:58 AM

@25: "Note I said "may", it's difficult to see when humans actually break free from their instincts since they give into them so often. ;) However, there may be a connection somewhere we have yet to see. Just have to wait and see."

I suppose, but double-blind studies haven't found anything statistically significant yet, so I doubt that we'll find some smoking gun in the future. Human love and attraction is far more nurture than nature, at least.

Posted by undead ayn rand on September 23, 2011 at 4:02 PM

@26 I can't argue that point. Mine was more to the point that we don't have a method of actually measuring it with any real accuracy. It could be nothing, it could be part of it, it could be nothing. I'm wagering that there is some physical or chemical reason people have an attraction to one or the other gender, mostly because it would shut up the "it's a choice" crowd (a bit selfish but meh) but also because it will hopefully help them identify real transgendered people without forcing some stupid and meaningless psychological garbage on them, possibly saving younger ones a lot of grief and abuse in their childhood to. Though it could backfire, but then, that would be going against how they were born. ;)

Posted by KittenKoder

on September 23, 2011 at 11:18 PM

@27: "mostly because it would shut up the "it's a choice" crowd (a bit selfish but meh)"

Oh, I doubt this could properly shut them up ;)

It would also, horrifyingly set them towards searching for a "cure".

Posted by undead ayn rand on September 26, 2011 at 11:16 AM