Three suspects tied to the February 19 hate crime at a popular Gay bar — in which patrons were subjected to anti-LGBTQIA+ slurs and fired upon with water pellets — have been identified. They are 17, 19, and 24 years old. Detectives have passed along the hate crime offenses to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

The SGN reported on this incident last month, in which people standing outside Pony were targeted by a group of white men in a dark blue Lexus sedan, according to those present.

The suspects circled the 1940s-vintage gas station turned bar over the course of an hour and shot water pellets at patrons. At one point, they exited their vehicle and began to approach but then retreated back to their vehicle.

KCPAO said the defendants were released from police custody when the case was referred, and that the prosecutors had no previous cases with the three. After all materials provided by the SPD are reviewed, the office will make a decision regarding charges.

With increasing acts of harm and violence—including by state legislatures—KCPAO's senior deputy prosecuting attorney and hate crimes prosecutor, Yessenia Manzo, testified in support of a new bill that would strengthen and provide further clarity to the state's hate crime laws. House Bill 1052 passed through the House and is currently in Senate committee.

Senator Manka Dhingra (D- 45) and Representative Cindy Ryu (D- 32) are lead sponsors on HB 1052's companion bill, Senate Bill 5038. Part of it states that, "It is not a defense that the accused was mistaken that the victim was a member of a certain race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, had a particular gender expression or identity, or had a mental, physical, or sensory disability."

SB 5038 also notes that a person is guilty of a hate crime if they intentionally and maliciously cause harm due to the whole or partial perception of a person's race, religion, ancestry, national original, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability. Such acts of harm include physical assault to a person and damage or destruction of property, and threatening a specific person or group that causes them to feel a reasonable fear of harm.

"When there is evidence to show that people were victimized by a hate crime—in whole or in part because of a defendant's bias—those perpetrators must be held accountable. Prosecutors need this legal fix to ensure that happens," said KCPAO's Leesa Manion.