Santa Barbara Police Chief Cam Sanchez vowed to find and arrest three men suspected of severely beating one man and injuring another, in what authorities are calling a “hate crime.”
The attack occurred at 1:42 a.m. on Sunday, after a night of New Year’s Eve revelry. The suspects believed the victims were gay, which authorities believe was the motivation for the attack.
The assault was also captured on video.
“Hate crimes like these will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held accountable,” Sanchez said.
The two victims were leaving a downtown nightclub, authorities said, and were headed toward their car, parked near Ortega and Chapala streets.
As they were walking, one of the suspects, authorities said, yelled a derogatory comment at one of the men. The suspects then attacked the victims.
One of the men suffered a broken jaw. He also needed staples in his head to stop the bleeding, authorities said. The other man suffered minor injuries.
Authorities described one of the suspects as a white male adult, in his 20s, 5 feet 4 inches, about 160 lbs with a shaved head. He was wearing a white and black plaid long sleeve shirt.
Police believe the second male suspect is also in his 20s, about 6 feet, 1 inch, with a shaved head, and wearing dark clothing.
The third suspect is described as another white male in his 20s, with a shaved head and wearing dark clothing.
The Santa Barbara Police Department is actively investigating this assault as a potential hate crime and requests help from the public in identifying the suspects. Information related to this case can be provided anonymously.
Assault Believed to be Hate Motivated from Messenger/DailySound on Vimeo.
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