A 31-year-old man was attacked by two men who yelled anti-gay epithets on the night of September 3 outside the Westend Package Bar in Newberry, Florida, the North Florida Herald reports:
"The Gainesville man, a 31-year-old white male, was
badly beaten after several people questioned his sexual orientation,
[Officer Steve] Maynard said. Two men punched the victim in the face and then
broke a beer bottle on his head, according to the police report. The
men proceeded to kick the victim once he had fallen down and was
unresponsive. The attack was unprovoked, Maynard said. Initial
reports, which include interviews with eyewitnesses, show that two men
jumped on the victim and beat the man while calling him derogatory
names related to being a homosexual. That qualifies the crime to be a hate crime, which enhances the severity of the charges.
Police have enough evidence to arrest one of the
suspects, William Dennis Bracewell III, 37, of Trenton, who is believed
to be in the Newberry or Trenton area. The other suspect, who has not
yet been named, may also face charges Maynard said."
