Proud Boys Avoid Jail With Guilty Plea For UES Brawl, Report Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Two members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group blamed for starting an October street brawl outside the Metropolitan Republican Club on the Upper East Side, took a plea deal that will not result in a jail sentence, according to reports.

Jake Freijo and Eryk Kacznyski pleaded guilty last week to disorderly conduct — which is considered a violation, not a crime — and will be forced to perform five days of community service, the Huffington Post first reported. Prosecutors previously recommended as much as a year in jail for Proud Boys facing charges such as assault and rioting for the Oct. 12 brawl, according to the report.

Plea deals were offered to six other men charged in connection with the street fight. Prosecutors recommended a year in jail for two of the men, six months in jail for another man and probation terms of varying lengths for the remaining three, the Huffington Post reported.

Ten members of the Proud Boys, which has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were charged in connection with an Oct. 12 brawl following a speech given at the Metropolitan Republican Club by the group's founder Gavin McInness.

In the days following the brawl, the NYPD blamed anti-fascist protesters for sparking the fight by throwing a bottle at a group of Proud Boy members. Surveillance video released in December, first unearthed by the New York Times, showed Proud Boys charging at anti-fascist protesters before the bottle was thrown.

The NYPD was criticized by local politicians for making no arrests on the night of the fight, despite responding to the brawl in progress on East 82nd Street between Lexington and Park avenues.

In the days following the brawl, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said protesters started the fight after intercepting a group of Proud Boys on East 82nd Street and throwing a bottle at them. Lawyers for Proud Boys charged in relation to the fight have used a similar story in their defense, whereas prosecutors are now arguing that Proud Boys started the fight, the Times reported.

Dramatic video shows members of the Proud Boys cornering counter-protesters outside of the club and kicking them on the sidewalk as they lay on the ground. The group is also heard cursing and shouting gay slurs during the assault. As the group disperses, they can be heard saying "Proud Boys, let's go."

Read more: Patch's full explainer on the Proud Boys.