On Tuesday, D.C. police released photos of some of the suspects identified in a brutal hate crime attack.
Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro was attacked by 10 to 15 young men and women in a McDonald’s on October 27. The 22-year-old Colombian model and his husband were in the fast-food restaurant at about 1 am after a night out with friends at two local gay clubs when the incident occurred.
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Police said the photos were obtained from nearby surveillance cameras. Investigators are waiting on a request for video recordings from the McDonald’s franchise, as well.
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“Anyone who can identify these suspects or who has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099,” said a statement from DC Metro Police, who are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.
Lascarro’s spouse, Stuart West, said the incident started when a young woman screamed at his husband to “watch where the f*ck he was going” when he walked by her at a self-service line.
West said Lascarro tried to leave the restaurant to avoid a conflict when the group of individuals believed to be the woman’s friends blocked the restaurant doors, called him a “f**got”, and demanded he apologize. When Lascarro refused, they attacked him, West said.
“Five to 10 individuals started just punching him all over his face, all over his body,” West told WTTG News. “No one in the restaurant intervened; no one screamed ‘stop.’”
Lascarro was injured and bleeding on the sidewalk when the mob threw food, trash, and drinks at him, according to a police report. Two passers-by eventually contacted emergency medical services to assist him.
At Howard University Hospital, Lascarro was treated for a busted lip, scrapes, and bruises. He was placed in a neck brace and photos show him with bruises and blood on his face.
“This horrific hate crime left him hospitalized overnight, facing serious physical injuries and emotional trauma,” West said.
Following a news conference addressing security in the capital ahead of Tuesday’s election, D.C. police chief Pamela Smith told the Washington Blade, “We’ve taken the time to review the body-worn camera footage from the officer who conducted the investigation with the victim of that particular crime, and during that interview there was nothing that was said from the victim that there were any anti-gay or gay or racial slurs being shared with him.”
“We do recognize that often times when individuals go through a significant amount of trauma, they may forget details of what may have occurred,” Smith said. “But when we were made aware of the fact that there were some homophobic comments being made, we sent out an investigator, a detective, to do that investigation.”
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