Anti-Gay Attack In Midtown CVS Prompts Search For Suspect: Police

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Police asked for help finding a man accused of punching another man inside a Midtown pharmacy in an unprovoked, anti-gay attack over the weekend.

The assault happened around 7 p.m. Saturday inside a CVS at 5 Pennsylvania Plaza, across the street from Madison Square Garden.

The victim, a 24-year-old man, had just entered the store when the suspect punched him in the back of the head and neck — an assault that was captured on video — and made "anti-sexual orientation remarks," police said.

The suspect, who has not been identified, walked out of the pharmacy and walked west along 34th Street toward Ninth Avenue, police said. The victim declined medical attention at the scene.

Authorities on Tuesday released surveillance footage of the assault, which is being investigated as a hate crime.

Police asked anyone with information to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.