A man was attacked at a McDonald’s on 14th and U street. Police are investigating it as a potential hate crime. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports.
A group of as many as 10 to 15 men and women assaulted a gay man at a McDonald's in Washington, D.C., and called him a homophobic slur, prompting police to investigate the attack as a hate crime.
Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, 22, went out to a couple of bars in the Logan Circle area and was on his way home about 1 a.m. Sunday, when he went to get something to eat at the McDonald's at 14th and U streets, his husband, Stuart West, told News4. West wasn't with Robles Lascarro at the time.
West said his partner decided to leave the McDonald's after seeing a long line. As he was leaving, a woman behind Robles Lascarro cursed and told him to watch where he was going, West said. She was upset he didn't say "excuse me," Robles Lascarro told police.
According to the police report, she told him, "Excuse me, yes you f-----."
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"While he was walking toward the exit, a group of possibly her friends, most likely, told him, 'Did you not hear what she said you stupid f-word' … And, again, he tried to ignore and they repeated it again: 'We're going to teach you how to apologize you stupid f-word,'" West said.
"As they were blocking the door, the only thing he wanted to do was get out. And so he raised his hand to try to get out, and as soon as that happened, about 10 of them jumped him. They started punching him all over his face, his body," West said.
Slumped to the sidewalk, dazed and in a lot of pain, Robles Lascarro went into survival mode, West said. He called 911 and called West via FaceTime.
That video call inadvertently recorded about two seconds of what came next. People appeared to throw drinks and trash at Robles Lascarro.
A photo taken after the assault shows his face swollen and bloodied.
Medics took him to a nearby hospital.
Robles Lascarro is a model who moved to D.C. from Columbia last year.
West said his partner will recover physically, but he worries about the lasting mental trauma he might endure.
He also said he's concerned about the safety of the area for the gay community as D.C. gets ready to host the World Pride Celebration in 2025.
"So how can we as a community here in the District invite the world, LGBTQ members, to come celebrate being who they are, being in a safe space when we have District members here who aren't even safe?" he said.
NBC News contributed to this report.
