Proud Boys Stand Trial For UES Street Brawl: Court Records

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The criminal trial for two members of the far-right Proud Boys group accused of initiating a 2018 street brawl on the Upper East Side began this week, according to reports and court records.

Maxwell Hare and John Kinsman are both facing riot and attempted assault charges in connection with an Oct. 12 street brawl that occurred following a speech by former Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes at the Upper East Side's Metropolitan Republican Club, according to court records. The trials began Monday and are expected to continue into August.

Prosecutors described Hare as the instigator of the street fight and Kinsman as "the single most vicious of all the attackers," the New York Times reported. Several other Proud Boys members involved in the fight have already pleaded guilty and one is still awaiting trial, according to the report.

The prosecution is facing an unusual challenge in the case because victims of the Proud Boys' attack will not cooperate with law enforcement authorities to offer testimony, the Times reported. Prosecutors told the Times it's uncommon to solely rely on video evidence when working a criminal trial, but not unheard of.

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.

The NYPD initially blamed anti-fascist protesters for sparking the fight by throwing a bottle at a group of Proud Boy members, but surveillance video released in December 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.

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.