Attack on man outside gym-lounge may be hate crime

[cboy4]

SLC » Victim cut with bottle is in critical condition.

By Steve Gehrke

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 12/03/2008 05:12:18 PM MST

Police say a 50-year-old man was critically injured in an attack with a bottle outside a Salt Lake City lounge and gym that reputedly caters to the gay community -- and that may make it a hate crime case.

The victim told police that he left the 14th Street Gym, near 1400 West and 200 South, after midnight early Wednesday.

As he was waiting for a cab ride, the man said someone walked up behind him, swore at him, used a derogatory sexual-orientation slur and hit him over the top of the head with a bottle, police said.

The attacker ran off. Police said the victim showed signs of intoxication and was not able to give officers an accurate description of his attacker.

He suffered cuts to his forehead and was bleeding profusely when he was transported to a hospital in critical condition, police said. Police are investigating the attack as a potential hate crime.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11128265

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4973417

[cboy4]

1. ............

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[joeybee12]

2. "reputedly"???

What a strange word. This sucks.

[cboy4]

3. Yea, it's almost like it was written in a Legal Ease.

Almost like, we wouldn't want to unfairly associate teh gays with the owner of a business establishment.

Weird.

And yea, it sucks.

[QC]

4. Makes me think of the old days of the Lavender Menace. n/t

[cboy4]

5. Yea, that's a good analogy.

And I'm so happy some of the "founding members" were able to get married.


Phyllis Lion and Del Martin (Jane Cleland)

[FreeState]

6. You think thats bad - check out the Deseret News story (Mormon paper)

http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705267779,00.html


The victim was bleeding profusely when the cab driver arrived. The cabbie called 911. The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, McGowan said.

Investigators were able to get some information from the victim, noting that he was coherent but under the influence of alcohol, he said.

In April, the Utah Court of Appeals reversed a district court's order revoking the gym's license based on reported lewd acts committed by gym patrons. The court ruled there was no evidence that the gym or its employees knew of or condoned the acts being alleged.

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Yes - lets link an attack to lewd behavior that a court ruled the gym had nothing to do with and it happened 9 months ago...