Council member accused of pushing manager of LA gay bar; attorney says it was self-defense

A council member from a small town outside Los Angeles has been accused of assaulting an employee at popular LGBTQ+ bar Precinct after he was found publicly urinating just outside the venue, along with another man.

But an attorney for Crescenta Valley Town Council (CVTV) member Chris Kilpatrick alleges that his client was acting in self-defense, believing he was about to be “gay bashed.”

On Tuesday, Mar. 12, the official Instagram account for Precinct — a queer bar in Downtown Los Angeles — shared video footage of two men urinating in the outside area of the venue.

“Last Saturday night, these two party boys decided to show everyone what not to do at Precinct,” the caption of the Instagram post reads. “They first left the bar with full cocktail glasses in hand, then decided to go to our employee entrance, whip out their [shrimp emoji] and piss all over it together.”

The post continues: “When done, they rounded the corner where one of the managers spotted the drinks and tried to take them away; the big one reacted by physically assaulting him, throwing him to the ground.”

The Instagram post shared by Precinct did not name the pair, but the carousel of pictures and videos included a photo of them. Commenters on the post, including RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Willam, alleged that the taller man in the video was Kilpatrick.

Out reached out to Kilpatrick for comment, and his attorney, John Duran, responded that the “incident is ongoing, and facts are still being gathered.”

Duran said Kilpatrick and his boyfriend were outside of Precinct at 2 a.m. when they were approached by two people who did not identify themselves as staff or security from the bar.

“The first individual grabbed my client aggressively asking if he had been at Precinct Bar,” Duran said in an email. “My client instinctively pushed back in self defense. It was reasonable for him to believe that they were about to possibly be gay bashed by these 2 individuals.”

Duran also noted that “public urination is not a criminal offense” but only a citation that involves paying a fine.

Given the notoriety of Precinct as a queer establishment in L.A., the local LGBTQ+ community saw the post immediately and started to share their reactions. Many drag performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, and the local scene also regularly perform at the venue and shared their own responses to the post.

Delta Work wrote, “Grossssssssssss!” Kimora Blac tagged the Instagram page for KTLA 5 News. Abhora commented, “BANISHED!!” Pandora Boxx replied, “Awful [thumbs-down emoji].”

A comment that stood out came from Drag Race season four queen Willam. The Race Chaser podcast host commented, “I’m so mad on behalf of the staff. @chris.kilptrick [trash emoji].” Dragula season three winner Landon Cider seemingly reacted to the same profile that Willam was referring to, writing: “‘100% American’ in the profile is such a [red flag emoji].”

Instagram (@precinctdtla)

That Instagram account has since been deleted or deactivated, but you can see a screenshot of it below. The bio in the profile (with over 25,000 followers) is identified as Chris Kilpatrick and reads, “Los Angeles, Builder, Entrepreneur, Travelers, Politics, Dog Lover, Equinox, Coffee, 100% American.”

Instagram (@chris.kilptrick)

Other commenters in the Precinct post brought up another account, @realchriskilpatrick, which has also been deleted or deactivated as of this writing. However, you can also see a screenshot of that Instagram page below.

Instagram (@realchriskilpatrick)

According to the official Crescenta Valley Town Council website, Kilpatrick was elected as a member of this council in 2020 and is also involved in the Land Use Committee. The Crescenta Valley is a suburban area located 15 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles and includes communities such as City of La Cañada Flintridge, Crescenta Highlands, La Crescenta-Montrose, Montrose, Sunland, Tujunga, Verdugo City.

“Chris is a Crescenta Valley native,” Kilpatrick’s bio on the CVTV website reads. “He attended local schools and graduated from Clark Magnet High School in 2003. After leaving the area to attend college, Chris returned and now lives in The Crescenta Valley. He owns and runs a local business that specializes in custom residential construction.”

Also according to the official Crescenta Valley Town Council website, Kilpatrick is one of 10 members in the council. On the site, he is listed as a council member. However, several reports from Crescenta Valley Weekly refer to Kilpatrick as the current president of CVTV.

In a report from Jan. 26, 2023, for instance, the publication writes that “Chris Kilpatrick is now CVTC president; Harry Leon, who has served as president for the last seven years, is now serving as vice president.” But in a subsequent email, Kilpatrick’s attorney clarifies that general law cities in California use a rotating mayoral system and that his client works as a council member.