Man attacked in possible hate crime in West Hollywood
Officials are investigating a possible hate crime in West Hollywood in which three men yelled slurs at a black man about his sexual orientation and race before beating him up.
About 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, the man walked off a bus at Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard and as he crossed Santa Monica Boulevard, three men in a white Audi began hurling insults toward him, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Don Brooks, 31, told KCBS-TV Channel 2 that he asked the men to leave him alone, but they got out of the car and physically attacked him.
“It’s like one second I was crossing the street,” Brooks said. “The next second, I was on the ground bleeding crazily from the back of my head.”
He was punched in the face, then fell down and lost consciousness after his head hit the pavement, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Paramedics treated Brooks at the scene but he was taken to the hospital for staples to his scalp.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department’s West Hollywood Station at (310) 855-8850.
For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.
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