Suspect in a homophobic attack in New York (Photo: NYPD via Twitter)
A man allegedly beat two men unconscious outside a popular Brooklyn gay bar early on Monday morning.
The New York Police Department is looking for a man who allegedly shouted homophobic slurs at the two men, aged 29 and 34, before viciously attacking them.
The attack left both men unconscious and with broken bones.
The suspect, who was photographed by a witness, fled the scene. It is not known if he knew the two men prior to the attack.
Police have offered a reward of $2,500 for information.
The New York City Mayor’s Office shared the police appeal for information on the suspect. ‘We do not tolerate hate in this city’, the office tweeted.
This man used homophobic slurs and assaulted two men this weekend. We do not tolerate hate in this city. If you have any information, please contact the NYPD. https://t.co/1STveThdpC
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) September 24, 2018
Local residents called for more to be done to tackle homophobia in the United States.
‘We need for people to take action’, neighbor Aidan Pongrice told Eyewitness News.
‘Not just to find and arrest this one person, we need people to take action to go out and vote and make sure that we don’t have people and leaders in this country that actively dog whistle against my very existence’, he said.
Vicious attack
The suspect reportedly approached the two men as they left the Metropolitan bar. Some local media said they did not know each other.
After shouting homophobic abuse, the suspect allegedly first approached the 34-year-old and punched him in the face. The victim’s shoulder was fractured in the attack and he was left unconscious.
The attack also left the 29-year-old victim unconscious after the suspect threw him against a tree. His finger was broken.
Find details of the police appeal below:
WANTED: male, white for a assault/hate crime that occurred at Union Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue in #Brooklyn on 9/23/18 at 1 AM. Help us ID this person, ☎️ #800577TIPS to share info. Up to a $2,500 reward for information. pic.twitter.com/QhWc6qMIEH
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 24, 2018