A 19-year-old Virginia man accused of assaulting a Georgetown University Medical Center student last month in a bias-related incident pleaded guilty Wednesday to two criminal charges.

Ruddad Abdulgader appeared in D.C. Superior Court and plead guilty to two criminal counts of felony charges – felony assault with a bias intent and possession of a prohibited weapon – according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

In the early morning of Oct. 3, Abdulgader and his friend Saad Elroch, age 22, reportedly assaulted the Georgetown student while he was walking along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal path. After shouting homophobic slurs, Abdulgader allegedly hit the victim in the face with a vodka bottle, rendering him unconscious. In the statement of offense, to which Abdulgader pleaded guilty, it states that Abdulgader hit the victim because of “his prejudice against the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.”

According the press release, Abdulgader faces up to five and a half years in jail for the two criminal counts. He remains incarcerated until his sentence hearing on Feb. 6.

The victim, who was granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the incident, said he was extremely pleased with the verdict.

“I am thrilled that the justice system worked correctly in this case. It is a huge relief,” he said.

The victim does not believe the U.S. Attorney’s office has not brought assault charges against Elroch.

He said the Georgetown community has been supportive of him since the incident.

“I am very thankful to all the Georgetown community for their support in the aftermath of this incident, especially the new [LGBTQ] Resource Center,” he said. “I am very pleased to see the creation of this center at Georgetown and believe that it is truly providing a greater sense of community for the LGBTQ students and faculty of the university.”

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