Attackers Yell Racist and Homophobic Slurs During Assault

A hate crime investigation was underway today following an attack on a black man in West Hollywood, authorities said.

The crime occurred about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday after the man got off a bus at Fairfax Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, the sheriff’s department reported.

“As he was walking northbound (on Fairfax), crossing Santa Monica Boulevard, he saw a white Audi Q4 facing southbound waiting for him to cross the street,” a sheriff’s statement said.

“As he neared the curb, he heard the occupants yell numerous slurs related to his race and sexual orientation,” the statement said.

Three suspects got out of the car and approached the man, and “he was punched in the face, which caused him to fall backward, striking his head,” the statement said.

The man lost consciousness, and paramedics took him to a hospital. The suspects fled and are being sought.

The sheriff’s department did not identify the man. According to the Los Angeles Times, the victim was Don Brooks, 31. He told KCBS-TV that he asked the men to leave him alone, but they got out of the car and attacked him.

“It’s like one second I was crossing the street,” Brooks said. “The next second, I was on the ground bleeding crazily from the back of my head.”

Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call the sheriff’s West Hollywood Station at (310) 855-8850, or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

• City News Service