A homeless man in New York City was charged with several hate crimes after defecating on two LGBTQ+ pride flags in April, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Fred Innocent,45, allegedly took the flags from Buceo 95, a NYC tapas bar, and defecated on one while using the other to wipe himself on April 15, according to the New York Daily News. He was arrested Wednesday on hate crime charges including burglary, harassment and trespassing.

He also faces non-hate crime trespassing and burglary charges, the NYPD confirmed to the DCNF.

“This was a total hate crime,” Courtney Barroll, restaurant owner, told the Daily News. “He came in within 15 minutes of us opening up the restaurant. He could have gone to Popeyes or McDonald’s around the corner. He could have used napkins.”

Barroll told the Daily News she will pursue “the maximum charge possible” if asked to go to court.

Innocent was arrested in January for stealing a purse in a Manhattan hotel, according to the Daily News. He was also nabbed for grand larceny in October 2022 and received felony assault charges in 2007 and 2008.

Innocent made the mess right below a security camera, Enrique Trujillo, the restaurant porter who found it, told the Daily News. Detectives tracked Innocent to a shelter in Harlem.

“I want to thank the NYPD detectives for catching him,” Barroll told the Daily News. “They worked so hard on this.”

Buceo 95 did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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Republished with permission from Daily Caller News Foundation