Man in West Village Victimized in Antigay Attack

Police are investigating a possible hate crime incident in New York City's West Village following a Sunday incident in which a 32-year-old man was berated with homophobic and racial slurs before being assaulted.

The attack took place on West Fourth Street between Jones and Cornelia around 5:30 p.m. The assailant, described as a 6-foot, 240-pound Latino male in his mid-20s, approached the victim, calling him a "faggot" and the n word. Described as wearing a black T-shirt and black pants, he shoved the victim to the ground.

The victim's wounds were serious. As he was falling, the victim smashed his head on the window frame of Las Ramblas, a Spanish tapas restaurant just blocks away from Stonewall Inn, the historic bar that was the site of the 1969 riots.

Following the incident, the victim was immediately taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel, located in the East Village. The man would receive treatment for a "deep gash" on his head, as well as general pain resulting from the attack. "It required a staple, so it was quite a big laceration," a New York Police Department spokesman told Gothamist.

This attack is one of many alleged anti-LGBT hate crimes that have taken place in New York in recent years.

This includes the brutal 2013 murder of Mark Carson by Elliot Morales. Morales was described in court testimony as a closeted bisexual who targeted the gay Carson, who was also black, because he was proud and unapologetic about his sexuality. The man received a sentence of 40 years to life in June.

In August, Chicago native Omar Villalobos was struck in the forehead and the eye while walking in Manhattan. Villalobos, who claims the assailant shouted antigay slurs during the altercation, would receive stitches for a deep, two-and-a-half-inch cut above his right eyebrow.

He told NBC News, however, that authorities were less than responsive. "Go find someone who cares," he claims police told him. "We're here for terrorist attacks, not homeless people."

Despite recent legal victories, LGBT people remain disproportionately targeted for hate crimes across the United States. Victims are more than twice as likely to be targeted for their gender identity or sexual orientation than their skin color, although multiple demographic factors often play a part in motivating anti-LGBT bias. Carson was both gay and black.

In New York, 33.9 percent of hate-crime attacks are motivated by sexual orientation.