Dallas police are investigating a possible hate crime involving two men who were beaten with baseball bats because of their perceived sexual orientation. Details and video follow.
A police report says that five men were lofting anti-gay slurs as they beat two men in the face and over their bodies alongside a highway.
One of the victims said he was struck at least four times in the head with a bat and lost consciousness until after the suspects left. The other victim attempted to fight back and got caught in the passenger side of the suspects’ vehicle. The suspects dragged the victim an unknown distance before he could free himself.
The victims then transported themselves to Medical City Hospital, according to reports. Officers who responded to the hospital described the victims’ injuries as cuts to the head and nose, bruising and swelling to the cheek and eye socket, chipped upper teeth, and abrasions to the toe, finger, shoulder and stomach.
Laura Martin, LGBT liaison officer for the Dallas Police Department, said the victims’ injuries aren’t life-threatening. Martin said the victims didn’t know the suspects. She declined to say whether the victims are in fact gay, but noted that hate crimes can be based on actual or perceived sexual orientation.
