West Hollywood is one of those places (like San Francisco) that we do not expect to see many hate crimes committed. Nevertheless, Don Brooks, a 31 year old gay black bartender was attacked in West Hollywood early Tuesday morning. The attackers were yelling homophobic and racial slurs at him as he was walking home.
From The Advocate:
"I wasn't expecting to get gay-bashed or have a hate crime committed against me on Martin Luther King Day in West Hollywood," Brooks told Los Angeles TV station KTLA.
Brooks, a 31-year-old gay bartender, said he was crossing Santa Monica Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue around 2 a.m. Tuesday when four men in a white Audi SUV began verbally harassing him. Brooks says he told the men to go home, which apparently prompted three of them to jump out of the vehicle, continuing to swear at him. Then one of the suspects allegedly charged at Brooks, knocking him to the ground, cracking his head on the sidewalk.
Brooks described all four men as Armenian and in their mid-to-late 20s. He said the primary assailant was a "beefy, buff guy," approximately six feet tall, and was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans during the assault.
Deputies are seeking three men in that hate crime attack. You can view a television report of this event at
KCBS.