Antigay Attack Leaves Man With Facial Fractures

A gay man in Miami Beach, Fla., was beaten and left with broken bones in what he's calling a homophobic attack.

Luis Carlos Herrera Quiroz, 26, was walking with two women friends last Friday night in the South Beach area, having just left another friend's birthday party, when he brushed up against a man on the sidewalk, Miami TV station WSVN reports.

The man and his female companion "were homophobic, and I remember I told them to stop bothering me and teasing me," Herrera told WSVN through a translator over the weekend. "Then a person came over to me and kicked me in the face, and after that, I don't remember anything."

One of the women with Herrera, Yanira Daniela Bustos Jaure, tried to intervene, but a woman with the attacker "grabbed her by the hair and knocked her to the ground," a police report states. The assailants eventually just walked away, leaving Herrera with a broken cheekbone and other injuries. He was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center.

"My nose is broken, and my face is fractured, and now I'm waiting to see if they will operate on me," he said. He was also having dizzy spells.

Much of the attack was recorded on surveillance video. Police are calling it a "simple battery" and are continuing to investigate but haven't stated a motive, South Florida Gay News reports. However, Herrera is certain the motive was homophobia.

Police are asking that anyone with information call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS. Callers have the option of remaining anonymous, and helpful info could lead to a reward of up to $5,000.