Police Investigating Alleged Attack on Gay Man as Possible Hate Crime

In what police are investigating as a possible hate crime, a 36-year-old gay man was allegedly struck in the head by a 15-year-old boy on Laguna Beach and later beaten by three of the boy’s companions early Thursday, police said.

The man was walking along the beach off Saint Anns Drive about 2:30 a.m. when he came upon a group of five males 15 to 20 years old, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Ray Lardie said.

The victim, whose name was withheld, talked with the group for about an hour, and accepted a beer they offered him, Lardie said. One of the young men then asked him if he was gay. When he said he was, the 15-year-old hit him in the back of the head with an unidentified object, police said.

Seeking to avoid a fight, Lardie said, the victim began to walk away. Three of the youths followed him and confronted him. The victim asked why the 15-year-old struck him, and was told that the teenager “didn’t like gays and we don’t either,� Lardie said.

The three then proceeded to hit and kick the victim, who fell to the ground. When the man started screaming, the assailants ran north on the beach. They have not been identified and are still at large.

The victim was treated for bruises and released from South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach.