The boyfriend of a man from Florida, US is now permanently blind after an attack from the Ukranian family of his partner. The victim, a 31-year-old resident of Pompano Beach, was allegedly ambushed by the family because they believed he had turned their family member gay.
Hate crime charges have been filed against three members of the South Florida family – Inna Makarenko, 44; Yevhen Makarenko, 43, and Oleh Makarenko, 21. Another family member, Vladyslav Makarenko, has also been transferred to the Broward County jail system for his alleged involvement in the attack.
The victim was attacked in early August 2021 and has been left permanently blinded and has sustained other serious injuries. According to a report, the victim revealed that he had been in a relationship with Oleh who had faced mistreatment from his family after they found out he was gay.
The victim recounted that on the night of the attack, Oleh’s family forced their way into the victim’s apartment and proceeded to beat him. Despite the severity of his injuries, the man initially did not disclose what had happened to the police. He later regained his memory of the incident in February and requested to press charges.
The victim suffered extensive injuries including blindness, a concussion, severe bruising and brain swelling, multiple fractures in his facial bones, and a fractured jaw. He has undergone multiple surgeries and is expected to need more. The victim has also incurred over $100,000 in medical bills. Detective Ryan described the crime as a “senseless and unprovoked attack onto a homosexual man.”
