A Chicago says he suffered minor injuries early Sunday morning when three men on a Chicago Transit Authority train beat him while yelling antigay slurs in an attack that ended after the victim lied and said he was HIV-positive.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Daniel Hauff of Rogers Park said the attack was triggered by his attempt to quell a dispute between two men on a Red Line train near the Argyle stop around 3 a.m.

Hauff, 33, reported that two other riders joined one of the quarrelsome men in taunting him with antigay slurs, which escalated to a beating after the conductor, who was called on the emergency intercom, assessed the situation and left.

Hauff said he ended the attack by “wiping some of his blood on the attackers and telling them he was HIV-positive, which was not true," the Chicago Tribune reported.

Three men were arrested in the area for misdemeanor battery and the use of disparaging comments, although the police report did not specifically reference antigay slurs. The suspects were released on bail Sunday.