According to Lt. Albert Anderson of the Nassau County Police Department's Sixth Squad, the police have arrested a homeless man for a bias-related robbery of a former Top Chef television program contender and three other women outside the bar Partners in Sea Cliff the night of Sept. 1.

Matthew W. Walli, 20, of Oregon, was arrested on Sept. 12 and charged with second-degree robbery as a bias crime. Police said Mr. Walli was part of a group of approximately 12 people who confronted Josie Smith-Malave, a competitor on the second season of Bravo's Top Chef and a Brooklyn resident, and her friends after they were ejected from the bar.

"There has been one arrest, which is great. It's the first of what I hope to be many more," said Yetta Kurland, Ms. Smith-Malave's attorney. "There were between nine and 12 attackers. I very much am hoping there will be additional arrests in the near future and this matter will continue to be treated as a bias crime."

Ms. Smith-Malave said she and her friends made the trip to Long Island over Labor Day weekend for a friend's birthday party in Sea Cliff. Around 11 p.m. on Sept. 1, she said, they walked to Partners on Sea Cliff Ave. Shortly after ordering drinks, the women were asked to leave the bar. Ms. Smith-Malave, who is openly gay, said they were asked to leave because members of her group, who were all over 21, looked underage and had not been proofed by the bouncer when entering the bar. However, other members of her group were told they were asked to leave because two women were dancing together and it was getting "too gay," Ms. Kurland said.

They were followed outside by a group of young adults who made derogatory comments regarding the women's sexual orientation, as well as spitting on them several times and throwing sticks, cups and other objects at them, Ms. Kurland stated. Several members of the group of attackers, both male and female, then physically attacked the women, said the attorney, kicking and punching them. Mr. Walli allegedly also stole Ms. Smith-Malave's video camera, which she had been using to tape the assault, the attorney added.

While the attack occurred, patrons at the bar and others on the street laughed and took pictures while watching, according to Ms. Smith-Malave.

Nassau County Police Department made no arrests at the time, according to a police report and none of the women, who suffered minor bruises and lacerations, went to the hospital.

The day after the incident, said Ms. Kurland, after destroying the video footage, Mr. Walli returned the camera to Partners. Partners contacted the police, giving them Walli's name. The investigation is ongoing, according to Lt. Anderson.

"Underage drinking and bias-related violence should simply not be tolerated, and even more concerning is the fact that the bar, the patrons, and the officers who initially responded turned a deaf ear to the senseless attack on these women," said Ms. Kurland. "This incident constitutes not only bias-related violence under New York State hate crime laws, but gang assault in the second degree, a Class C Felony, which carries with it substantial penalties. These are serious crimes and we take them very seriously."

She added, "Initially, police were not as responsive as they should have been, but after our Sept. 12 press conference, local authorities and the [Nassau County] District Attorney's office have been responsive to our request to continue to treat this as a serious, bias crime and as a gang assault. ... This [incident] is clearly an example of why we have hate crime legislation [and] how out-of-control gangs in any neighborhood can become abusive and unstoppable when alcohol and ignorance are combined."

Residents of Sea Cliff, many outraged by the hate crime, are taking matters into their own hands with a community-wide rally at Memorial Park on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. "Village residents were shocked and saddened to learn of [the] assault," said Karin Barnaby, who helped organize the event. "An investigation is underway. Whatever the outcome, village residents feel compelled to repudiate intolerance of any kind, in words or actions, whenever and wherever it is expressed. Sea Cliff residents will gather for a community-wide rally to celebrate Sea Cliff's historical commitment to diversity and to reaffirm its unshakeable solidarity with individuals and groups of all backgrounds and persuasions."

Owners of Partners were not available for comment.