Man who assaulted victim on camera after asking 'Are you gay though?' cooperating with police
Police are investigating a man who punched another man after learning he was gay in a wild video that has shocked lawmakers.
The assault was filmed by victim Sal Trejo outside a bar in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. “My friends and I were assaulted by this homophobic man…Anyone know him? The police are interested in having a chat with him,” tweeted Trego.
Trejo told Salt Lake City news station ABC 4 that while he and his pals were outside smoking cigarettes and waiting for an Uber, the suspect said on his phone, “I’m standing by the gay in the camo coat.” Trejo confronted him and the man allegedly used a homophobic slur and after an argument, pushed one of Trejo’s female friends. “We were simply defending ourselves,” Trejo told ABC 4.
My friends and I were assaulted by this homophobic man in downtown Salt Lake City last night. Anyone know him? The police are interested in having a chat with him. #SaltLakeCity @slcpd @slcmayor @EqualityUtah pic.twitter.com/1tPFSCADOp
— Salonge Knowles (@saltrejo) February 17, 2019
SLCPD Detectives have made contact with the suspect who is cooperating fully with the #investigation.
— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) February 18, 2019
“Are you gay, though?” asked the suspect, who wears a green shirt and blue jeans, on camera.
“Oh, I am,” answers Trejo.
“Oh, then you’re gay,” confirms the suspect. “Yeah, but…” begins Trejo before he is punched by the man.
Trejo told ABC 4 that after the punch, the suspect pulled out a knife before walking to his car and driving away.
The Salt Lake City Police Department located the man quickly. A department spokesperson did not return Yahoo Lifestyle’s information request.
It’s time for the UT Legislature to act on hate crimes legislation #utpol #utsenate https://t.co/trV0am0cz9
— Derek Kitchen (@derekkitchen) February 18, 2019
“He just messed with the wrong queers,” Trejo told The Salt Lake Tribune. “We knew that we would be able to find him because we have the resources and we have the support of the great community here in Salt Lake City.”
Democratic Senator Derek Kitchen, who is gay, shared Trejo’s story on Twitter Monday, saying, “It’s time for the UT Legislature to act on hate crimes legislation.”
Utah’s hate crime statutes are very vague and, as the HuffPost reports, they don’t apply to crimes higher than a misdemeanor. “Twenty years ago, Utah passed its hate crime statutes which were watered down out of fear that gay marriage would one day become legal,” Troy Williams, the executive director of the activist organization Equality Utah, told Yahoo Lifestyle. “So there hasn’t ever been one hate crime conviction in Utah.”
State Republican Senator Daniel Thatcher is sponsoring a bill to add penalties to crimes committed against people for their sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and religion, The Salt Lake City Tribune reported this week. Kitchen, who owns a local restaurant bearing a gay pride flag that was destroyed last week, is a supporter.
“What makes Sal’s video chilling is that it’s shot from a first-person perspective,” Williams tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “It targets the victim and the community at large.”
Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Trejo for comment and will update this post when we hear back.
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