Deputies Seek 3 Men In Hate Crime On West Hollywood Man
WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Deputies sought the public's help Tuesday in locating three men accused of committing what they called a hate crime that left a 31-year-old man severely injured.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the attack happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.
The victim, Don Brooks, shared with CBS2's Peter Daut that he was walking home alone, after commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with friends when he became the victim of a hate crime.
"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 explained a group of three men pulled up in a car, and shouted gay and racial slurs toward him.
In response, Brooks told the group of men to leave him alone; at which time, they jumped out of their vehicle and attacked him, the Sheriff's Department said.
"One of the guys charged me, shoved me and knocked me to the ground," Brooks said. "They hit the back of my head, and then they hopped in the car and sped off."
Although the attack seemed to happen in less than a minute, Brooks realized he needed medical assistance when he got up from the ground.
"My whole shirt was covered in blood," he went on to explain. "I couldn't figure out where I was bleeding from because it was all over my hands, and all over my shirt front and back."
Brooks was admitted to a hospital, where he received staples to his scalp.
Officials said he was only able to provide them with vague descriptions of the attackers and their vehicle.
According to deputies, crimes similar to this incident rarely occur in the West Hollywood area.
The attack on Brooks marks the first hate crime of 2015, officials explained.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact deputies at (310) 855-8850.