Two men allegedly ambushed and beat a 31-year-old gay man in the town of Elmira, New York, near the New York/Pennsylvania border on Tuesday night. According to WETM Elmira, the attackers approached the man, asked if he had a lighter, and began punching him after he said he didn't.
Said the victim, who refused to be identified:
“They attacked me because I am a homosexual, and they said you're going to die tonight faggot. The one hit me in the face and I blacked out and fell on the ground, and then they started going crazy and kicking me in the face repeatedly. Knocking me around, and every time I stood up they would kick me in the face again and knock me down to the ground.”
Police said Joseph Loudenslager, 20, and Justin Edwards,21 were responsible for the attack. If convicted of a hate crime, the two could spend up to four years in prison.
