Man May Lose Eye After Possible Hate Crime In Midtown Sacramento

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Two Sacramento men are recovering after what they say was a homophobic attack at a bar in Midtown Sacramento.

The victims say they were at the Highwater bar when a stranger began yelling anti-gay slurs and then started throwing punches. One man was even injured so badly he could lose his eye.

With a patched-up left eye, 24-year-old Ismael Aranda is still visibly shaken.

"It's pretty severe," said Aranda.

It happened Friday night during a fun night out with friends, but that fun turned violent during a trip to the bathroom.

"It was from like zero to 100 really fast."

Aranda was with his friend Julio Villarman, who is gay. Villaraman was on the phone with his sister and mentioned his boyfriend, and that's when the men say a stranger chimed in.

"This man at the urinal just like turned around towards us and started yelling profanities," said Villarman.

Before they knew it, the men say the punches were flying.

Villarman used his phone to block his face, but the attacker allegedly punched Aranda straight in the eye and then took off. Aranda was taken to the hospital, where he underwent eye surgery. Doctors aren't sure if his eye can be saved.

"This gentleman definitely needs a lot of help, and I just hope he gets it," said Aranda.

Sacramento Police say it's possible it will investigate this case as a hate crime. Meanwhile, Aranda, who's married to a woman, could now lose his left eye because of the attack. Both men say the hate will never break their spirit.

"We know for a fact there's a lot of darkness out there in the world, just like letting him know that despite his actions that it's not going to change who we are as people," Aranda.

The men say the alleged attacker appeared to be light-skinned and somewhat tall in stature, with short, straight brown hair.

No arrests have been made.