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Ex-'Top Chef' contestant beaten in Sea Cliff
A former "Top Chef" contestant from Brooklyn was beaten in an anti-gay attack outside a Sea Cliff bar, and her lawyer said yesterday that she is disappointed in the police response to the crime.
Josie Smith-Malave, who was featured on Season 2 of the Bravo channel show, was one of three women asked to leave Partners, a Sea Cliff bar, the night of Sept. 1 after two of the women danced together, their lawyer, Yetta Kurland, of Manhattan, said yesterday.
Kurland said her clients told her that about 10 or 12 young people from the bar, some of whom appeared underage, followed the women out and began screaming anti-gay epithets, throwing debris and spitting at them, then beating them.
Nassau County police said they were investigating but said they would not provide additional information because it might impede their investigation and ability to make arrests.
The women, who had been on Long Island to attend a friend's birthday party, suffered bruises, and one received injuries to her head. A video camera was taken from one of them during the attack, Kurland said.
When police arrived, several of the attackers were still present, Kurland said, but none were arrested. She said one of the attackers returned to the bar with the stolen video camera the next day, but still no arrest was made.
"We're disappointed with the initial response. I've been given assurances that they are going to treat this as a bias crime," Kurland said.
Smith-Malave, who is in her early 30s, is a Miami native. She is a former sous-chef for Marlow and Sons restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She also played for the New York Sharks of the Independent Women's Football League.
A former "Top Chef" contestant from Brooklyn was beaten in an anti-gay attack outside a Sea Cliff bar, and her lawyer said yesterday that she is disappointed in the police response to the crime.
Josie Smith-Malave, who was featured on Season 2 of the Bravo channel show, was one of three women asked to leave Partners, a Sea Cliff bar, the night of Sept. 1 after two of the women danced together, their lawyer, Yetta Kurland, of Manhattan, said yesterday.
Kurland said her clients told her that about 10 or 12 young people from the bar, some of whom appeared underage, followed the women out and began screaming anti-gay epithets, throwing debris and spitting at them, then beating them.
Nassau County police said they were investigating but said they would not provide additional information because it might impede their investigation and ability to make arrests.
The women, who had been on Long Island to attend a friend's birthday party, suffered bruises, and one received injuries to her head. A video camera was taken from one of them during the attack, Kurland said.
When police arrived, several of the attackers were still present, Kurland said, but none were arrested. She said one of the attackers returned to the bar with the stolen video camera the next day, but still no arrest was made.
"We're disappointed with the initial response. I've been given assurances that they are going to treat this as a bias crime," Kurland said.
Smith-Malave, who is in her early 30s, is a Miami native. She is a former sous-chef for Marlow and Sons restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She also played for the New York Sharks of the Independent Women's Football League.
