Dallas police are investigating an anti-gay hate crime in which the two victims were beaten with baseball bats by five attackers in northeast Dallas early Tuesday. Here’s the official press release from DPD:
Dallas Police Seek Assistance in Locating Hate Crime Suspects
On March 13, 2012, at about 2:00 a.m. two citizens were walking near the corner of Audelia Road and Forest Lane. A dark colored 4 door vehicle (possibly a Buick) with tinted windows and 24 inch rims approached the two individuals and suspects from within the vehicle began to shout slurs that were disparaging and derogatory toward sexual orientation.
There were believed to be 5 black male suspects in their 20’s inside the vehicle. Some of the suspects exited the vehicle, and two of them were brandishing baseball bats. The suspects attacked the two victims causing multiple injuries requiring medical treatment. This violent act constituted a hate crime and is being investigated accordingly.
The Dallas Police Department requests that anyone having knowledge of, or having observed, this incident to please contact Detective Chris Anderson at (214) 671-3616.
According to a police report, the suspects called the victims, both black males, “fags and sissy” before exiting the vehicle and assaulting them. 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.
“Crimes against persons is investigating the offense, and we have very vague suspect information,” Martin told Instant Tea. “I’m not going to discuss the sexual orientation of the victims to respect their privacy, but it is being treated as a hate crime, and the civil rights division of the FBI is going to be following it to see if any help is needed as well. We’re on top of it, basically.”
