Santa Barbara Attack On Two Men Thought To Be Gay Under Investigation (VIDEO)

Santa Barbara police are continuing to investigate a brutal New Year's Eve attack on two men believed to have been targeted because the assailants thought they were gay.

As the Santa Barbara Independent is reporting, the two victims, whose names have not been published, were confronted by three men, who have been described as skinheads, at about 1:45 a.m. outside a popular city nightspot on Sunday. After one suspect made a derogatory gay comment, the three proceeded to punch the victims, one of whom suffered a broken jaw and a severe head injury that required staples to close.

Grainy amateur video of the attack, which is being treated as a hate crime, has been released. "Hate crimes like these will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held accountable," local police chief Cam Sanchez said in a statement.

Comments

[jerry23]

05:52 PM on 01/05/2012

On New Year's Eve at 5:50 PM , my partner exited our kitchen door to do a chore. As soon as he exited the door, rapid high caliber gun fire, about 5 shots, came from the property line of our stalking neighbor ,about 60 feet away-it was timed-we are being stalked. I came out on the porch and the gun fire continued- very brazen. In all , there were about 20 shots fired-this was all staged. The person was walking around near our property line from 30 to 60 feet away. We called 911 and the arriving officer stated that the recordings on our iphone, that were made of the events, could have been old recordings that we could have fabricated them. While he was standing there, 4 other shots were fired from another stalking neighbor's property ( these two neighbors have joined forces as a team). He went to investigate the gun fire and came back saying that the neighbor didn't hear anything. Things are building. The recent investigation of the bullet hole we discovered on Nov. 13, 2011, in our dawn to dusk security light was an insult and a joke.
You never get use to living in fear and harms way no matter how hard you try. It is sad to read about these crimes and even sadder to know that many don't even get reported. And if they do get reported, the quality of the investigations is like being victimized again.

[lacrosselamore]

03:53 PM on 01/06/2012

If you don't get any action from the local pigs, try calling the FBI. It sounds like a hate crime, and as such the Feds have juristictioon. I lived in a small town for a while and the local cops were bigots and lazy bigots at that. I eventually moved.

[jerry23]

04:19 PM on 01/06/2012

We have somethings in the works at this time but we need support and backup. Lawyers won't come near it in our region. Everyone we know, including families , have turned their heads - we are Seniors. The gun fire thing has been part of the harassment for years but these recent actions have step over the line of no return. Years ago, we reported our rural mailbox taken down to harass us with full knowledge of the Postmaster and Local police-a federal crime. We contacted our then US senator who referred the harassment to the justice department. They made a joke of it and told us that they were not going to WASTE tax dollars on holding anyone accountable.
It isn't as easy as many think. Every major Gay Organization we have requested support from has been dismissive and indifferent or never responded at all except for a donation.
Thanks for your suggestion. We believe we are dealing with corrupt police to boot and a conspiracy of sorts to harass us.
I am making as much Noise as I can.

[ceeenbee]

01:26 PM on 01/05/2012

I'm sure they had religious reasons for the attack, so it's OK. Right Tennessee?

[Progressneeded]

01:15 PM on 01/05/2012

That is what religion begets bigotry! I bet those men had good religious parents who taught them to hate! And it is getting worse.

[danninejwinfield]

09:33 AM on 01/05/2012

Thats horrible, and theres no reason for this. where do they get off beating someone up because they are gay, that makes me so angry to know that people can't be who they are and be excepted. And what makes it even worse is someone stood by and recored this instead of helping the young man that was beat. My Lord My Lord!

[lacrosselamore]

03:54 PM on 01/06/2012

No use invoking the imaginary guys name. He doesn't care.

[DINGCHIROPTERA]

09:23 AM on 01/05/2012

odd that so many gay bashers go and do this because they're trying to suppress their own homosexual desires. As if beating someone else is going to beat the gay out of themselves. Idiots. Anyone who goes looking for gays to bash should take a long hard look at themselves and what their REAL inner desires are.

[rampscallion]

08:06 AM on 01/05/2012

pfffft

[Atwill]

07:44 AM on 01/05/2012

There is no difference between this and religious leaders trying to stop gay rights. Bible thumpers often hide behind "Freedom of religion" in order to justifiy thier bashing.

[StormCarRain]

08:42 AM on 01/05/2012

Oh! Look a Bible! Thump.. Thump.. Thump..

[Sistagirl Young]

12:44 PM on 01/05/2012

Hello Atwill; Everyone who believes the Bible does not engage in gay bashin'. I don't. "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of GOD" Romans 3:23. What gives me the right to say because I don't do somethin' I am betta than someone who does? I don't get it. "He that loveth not knoweth not GOD; for GOD is love" l John 4:8. Life.

[Gay Iberian]

02:15 PM on 01/05/2012

But if your religion is homophobic then you become part of that homophobia by supporting that religion in your faith.

[Atwill]

04:37 PM on 01/05/2012

there is a difference between a bible thumper and a christian. So if you see me type bible thumper, i mean those radical evanelical / fundie type. Not normal people. And BTW it is fine to believe the bible, but please, dont believe in it all. Let us face the facts The Bible is wrong on many things. But the part of love and helpping others that Jesus taught, heck yes, i am all for that.

[Mailman]

07:26 AM on 01/05/2012

This is terrible.

[Florha Jones]

06:26 AM on 01/05/2012

Oh my!!!!

[Irishtimesguy]

06:00 AM on 01/05/2012

When the hell are people going to stop shooting videos and start stopping the attacks on people?

[bijoutouri]

04:02 AM on 01/05/2012

This video doesnt really show anything except that we see a bunch of people in a scuffle. How is that considered a crime against someone who is gay? Besides, calling a crime a hate crime is stupid since all crimes at the core are hate filled.

[centsable]

06:03 AM on 01/05/2012

Would robbery or burglary be a hate crime. Any reasonable person knows the difference....as would a jury.

[encrypter46]

08:36 AM on 01/05/2012

The hate crime laws should never have been enacted in the first place. They give certain groups of people a special status that is not afforded to others. The crimes that are being named as hate crimes are already against the law. If someone were to be beaten up for being gay, the laws broken would probably be assault and battery. The fact that the person was gay has no bearing on it. Except with the hate laws, now if the person is found innocent, he can be brought back to court for a second trial for the same crime and, many times, found guilty. If that is not double jeopardy, I'd like to know what is. By the way,do white people ever get covered by hate laws? I believe they don't qualify.

[capercaper]

10:19 AM on 01/05/2012

Spot on.

[DCmykl]

12:03 PM on 01/05/2012

You're absolutely wrong. Most hate crime charges in gay related cases involve white victims with the defendents being almost equally divided between white and blacks with far fewer Hispanics.

[Denverpro1]

02:18 AM on 01/05/2012

Yep. Typical ... always strike only when they know they out number or can overpower their prey.

[Electraglide]

01:25 AM on 01/05/2012

I have long had the idea that the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are reacting to a feeling of fear. What, exactly, they are afraid of I have no clue, unless these testosterone overloaded he-men might look at two males they suspect of being gay and wonder just how far below the surface of their own character the same sort of passion may lurk. This way they can prove to themselves and their friends that it just ain't possible.

[sixtoes]

05:26 AM on 01/05/2012

Spot on, Electraglide. They are afraid that they themselves are gay, and don't like seeing any man that might remind them of that.

[Starling5]

05:29 AM on 01/05/2012

Very lucid.
This is surely the fear that lurks beneath any bully and which torments them to breaking point.
When they attack their victim, they are, in essence, attacking that hidden element of themselves that they cannot face....whether it be out of envy or denial.

[bluefalcon06]

12:52 AM on 01/05/2012

These attackers are going to become the guys they hate once they reach prison.

[lacrosselamore]

04:04 PM on 01/06/2012

Karma is a b itch and some times it's a bu tt F'er

[bluefalcon06]

12:51 AM on 01/05/2012

I wish people like that would quit trying to use my Lord as their shield to justify their hate. You know they are going to claim religion, which is not the case.