Washington, D.C. police are investigating the attack of two gay men.
Sunday morning, D.C. Council candidate Jamie Sycamore tweeted that two gay men were attacked in the 2000 block of 10th Street Northwest.
“Last night two men were gaybashed outside the @HowardTheatre,” he tweeted. “Our country is in decline, and it’s time to start making change locally to ensure our #DCValues remain strong.”
“As far as I know, they were walking and they started getting called names and they got attacked,” he said.
Sycamore, who says he knows the victims and contacted one of them that day, said the two suffered injuries from the attack like a broken nose, a chipped tooth, and broken bones.
Since then, the police have gotten involved.
“The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating this offense as potentially being motivated by hate or bias,” the department said in a statement. Until they can determine whether or not hate was involved, the case is being categorized as an aggravated assault.
In addition, the Special Liaison Branch, a community policing unit that also has an LGBTQ faction, will be working on this case as well.
As for Sycamore, he and his husband live in the area and they say that the LGBTQ community living near the location of the incident is scared and angry.
“This news spread like wildfire in such a close community,” Sycamore said.
“We have to send that message that it can’t be tolerated,” he added. “I’m confident in [D.C. police] . . . and I think their work will lead to justice for those that have been impacted in our community. In the meantime, I hope that everyone sends their thoughts to the community and to the victims and so can go on living their truth and being fabulous.”
Police did not provide descriptions of the assailants, but a new video was released online a few hours ago showing what is possibly the moment of attack. (Warning: the video contains depictions of violence).
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 202-727-9099 or text tips to 50411.
