Man Says He Was Assaulted by Shake Shack Employees in D.C. After Kissing His Boyfriend Inside Restaurant

A gay man has alleged that several employees at a Shake Shack in Washington, D.C., assaulted him after he kissed his boyfriend while they were waiting for their order.

Christian Dingus, 28, opened up about the traumatic experience to NBC News and stated that he and his partner, along with friends, were at the Dupont Circle location on Saturday night when the altercation took place. They had placed their order and were waiting for their food to be served. “And while we were back there — kind of briefly — we began to kiss,” Dingus said. “And at that point, a worker came out to us and said that, you know, you can’t be doing that here, can’t do that type of stuff here.”

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According to Dingus, the couple parted ways briefly, but his partner became upset with an employee and maintained that they hadn’t done anything inappropriate. It was then that Dingus’s partner was reportedly taken outside the restaurant, leading to a tense verbal confrontation. Dingus stated that when he stepped in to defend his partner, asserting that the employees should not address his boyfriend in that manner, the staff who had gone outside began to get extremely upset with them.

“And then one of the men, pretty forcefully, like, pushed me out of the way on my shoulder,” Dingus said. “And then, you know, next thing I know, that kind of just, I think, sparked the rest of them. … They all just kind of started attacking me at that point, dragging me back through the floor and continuously punching me in my head.”

A video capturing the alleged assault, recorded by a fellow Shake Shack customer and subsequently shared with Dingus, seems to depict a man being pushed while two others wearing black Shake Shack shirts strike at his head. Additionally, two more individuals in Shake Shack attire appear in the footage, but it is unclear what happens next.

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The 30-second video was filmed through the restaurant’s windows and does not provide context for what preceded the alleged assault, nor does it capture any audio from the men outside.

“There was a desire to be violent towards me, and I think it’s very evident in that film,” Dingus said.

Dingus mentioned that he was uncertain about who intervened to stop the assault while he was crouched on the ground to shield himself. He recalled that a female customer at the restaurant came to his aid, and someone who had recorded the incident offered him the footage, including the video that was later shared online. He noticed police officers in the vicinity afterward, but according to Dingus, they did not engage until after the attack had concluded. He later provided a description of the incident to the authorities.