Police are looking for a group of young people who allegedly attacked a 36-year-old man in an elevator at the Jane Hotel on Sun, Oct. 30, at 1 a.m. after one of them made anti-gay statements at the victim.
Police said the individuals included five males and two females, all of them white, roughly in their 20s, who were dressed in Halloween costumes at the nightspot, at 113 Jane St. One man who appeared to be a ringleader of sorts was wearing a Cat in the Hat top hat.
According to the New York Post, the victim told police he heard one of them say, “Hey, I’m talking to you, hey you, faggot.”
The victim then reportedly fell to the ground, apparently after being pushed or punched by one of the group, and another kicked him in the face while he was down. The individuals fled in an unknown direction.
The Post said the victim hailed a taxi and went to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he received six stitches to close a forehead wound and a surgical staple to close a cut on the side of his face.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline, at 800-577-TIPS, or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting them to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577. All tips are confidential.
City Councilmember Corey Johnson called on people to step forward and help catch the attackers.
“The news of an anti-L.G.B.T.Q. hate crime in the West Village over Halloween weekend is shocking and deeply offensive to all New Yorkers,” Johnson said. “This disgusting attack is beneath the dignity of our city. New York, and the West Village in particular, is known around the country as a place where people can live openly. When any New Yorker is attacked, particularly when it’s because of his or her identity, we must band together as a city and demonstrate our refusal to tolerate bigotry. I ask that anybody with information about this crime immediately contact the N.Y.P.D.’s Crime Stoppers Hotline.”
