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An Instagram video captured the shocking moment a man viciously clobbered two gay men over their heads with a chair at a New York City barbecue restaurant Tuesday night.
Police tell bloggers they are investigating the attack, which friends are calling a “hate crime.”
The incident was sparked at Dallas BBQ in Chelsea when a man tried to intervene in a fight between his partner and an unidentified patron of the restaurant. In the video, the attacker, who police describe as a 35-year-old, 6-foot, 4-inch black male, then walks up from behind them with a wooden chair raised high in the air before smashing it down over their heads.
The victim falls straight to the ground. His partner slumps into a chair and appears dazed. The man then ran out of the store, according to the witness who posted the video.
“These guys attacked us specifically because they knew we weren’t their type of people,” one of the victims, Jonathan Snipes, told reporters. “It was disgusting. It was awful,” he said.
Sgt. Lee Jones at the NYPD’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information told reporters the victim refused medical attention at the scene and chose not to consult with the detective squad. Still, Sgt. Jones said, an investigation is ongoing for felonious assault.
The attacker has not been identified and remains at large.
Snipes told a fellow blogger that the attacker used gay slurs during the fight, at one point yelling, “Take that faggot.” A friend, Sarah Meyers, told the paper it could have been worse.
“We want this to go viral. We need to find him. My friend could have been killed,”
“We want this to go viral. We need to find him. My friend could have been killed,” she said.
Another wrote on Twitter: “My friends were attacked in vicious hate crime @DallasBBQ on 23rd street last night.”
Sgt. Jones told Mashable however there was “no indication inside the complaint report that the incident was of that nature.”
Area politicians wasted no time in condemning the attack.
New York City Council member Corey Johnson issued a statement that said he was “appalled and angered by the senseless act of anti-LGBT hate violence that was perpetrated last night at a restaurant in my district.”
“The fact that this attack took place in the neighborhood of Chelsea, a place known around the world for its acceptance of all people, is particularly outrageous,” Johnson added. “There must be zero tolerance of hate crimes, the most insidious of crimes as they target entire communities of people.” Johnson urged the attacker to turn himself in and said his office is in communication with the NYPD and the NYC Anti Violence Project. He also urged anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers.
We called the Dallas BBQ and were told that all inquiries were being directed to Eric Levine, whose LinkedIn resume says he is Director Operations at Dallas BBQ in New York City. He hasn’t responded to our request for comment. We also contacted one of the victims over Facebook and have yet to hear back. We’ll update here if and when we do.
“My BF and I were assaulted last night as you see in this video,” the man wrote in a comment on Instagram. “The assailants fled the scene. Your video will help us find them.”
