N'ern Calif. Gay Man Attacked in Alleged Hate Crime

A gay man was assaulted early Sunday morning in a northern California city. Those with him during the incident say he was attacked because he is gay, Sacramento, Calif., ABC-TV affiliate KXTV reports.

Mikey Partida said he was walking down a street in the Sacramento suburb of Davis with is cousin, Vanessa Turner, around 3 a.m. Sunday morning when a neighbor began to allegedly assault him verbally. The man spewed anti-gay rhetoric towards Partida, called him a "faggot," and then punched him.

"I heard him personally yelling slurs at him," Turner told KXTV. "I know it was unprovoked." Partida said that he "continued, getting closer and closer, and then just punched me."

He told Sacramento's CBS-TV affiliate KOVR that he believes the suspect attacked him because he is an easy target. "They knew I was gay. They knew they were taller and bigger, and knew how to fight," he said.

Partida said the man kept fighting him until he blacked out, and when he woke up, he found himself in the hospital. Family member Erik Swanson told KOVR, "There was not only a pool of blood, but a puddle of blood under him. It's really tough that we currently are in a place where this can happen to such a good person."

Partida suffered visible injuries like scratches and bruises, and KOVR points out that he his right eye is swollen shut. Doctors said he will be probably be OK. Partida expressed how upset he was over the incident. He firmly believes the attacker was motivated by homophobia.

Turner added that the attacker apparently boasted about the incident later on. "From what I understand, he knocked on the door to brag about what he had done," she told KXTV.

Authorities are currently investigating the attack as a hate crime and have identified a suspect. David Police Lt. Glenn Glasgow said he hopes to make an arrest as soon as possible.

"I just assume everyone's nice but there's bad people out there," Partida told KOVR.