In yet another apparent hate crime in Manhattan, a gay man was attacked near Times Square early Saturday morning, cops said.
Police were called to the corner of 42nd Street and 9th Avenue around 3:22 a.m. Saturday morning, to find a 27-year-old man who reported having just been attacked, cops said.
The victim was reportedly walking with a friend when they were approached by a group of men. One of the men in the group reportedly said anti-gay remarks to the victim. The victim responded, and after a verbal dispute the attacker punched the victim.
After a brief canvas of the area, officers found a suspect in front of 401 9th Avenue. The suspect has been taken in for questioning, but has not yet been arrested or charged.
The victim sustained minor injuries, cops said, and was treated by EMS personnel at the Midtown South Precinct.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly repeated on Monday his belief that anti-gay crimes are underreported, so what appears to be a spike in attacks in Manhattan may actually just be an indication that more victims are reporting attacks rather than staying silent.
“The first thing we want to tell people who are victims of this is to report it,” Kelly said. “We have to know about it before we can take action.”
Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat
The post Another gay man attacked in midtown: cops appeared first on Metro.us.