Queens Restaurant Accused of Inaction During Antigay Attack

The New York Police Department is investigating a possible hate crime at a Queens restaurant.

Alberto Cruz and Daniel Dominguez claim they were physically and verbally attacked September 12 at Pollos Mario by a group of men yelling antigay slurs.

"Everything started with one of them," Dominguez told the New York Daily News. "He started saying, 'Why you guys looking at me? I'm not gay, I'm a father. Why do you guys think that everyone who comes in here is a faggot?'"

The slurs quickly escalated to violence, the pair claimed.

"Everything happened so fast from one minute to another we were surrounded by all of them. They hit me first. They hit me with a bottle or glass," Dominguez told WCBS, a local CBS affiliate.

"My nose is still broken," added Dominguez, 39. Cruz, 36, said he required stitches for his injuries.

Additionally, the pair, who identify as gay, claim that the restaurant workers did nothing to assist them while the assault was taking place. However, the workers disputed this accusation to WCBS, saying it was the alleged victims themselves who started the fight.

"You guys are not getting the whole story, and I think it will come out," said Jackeline Franco, a Pollos Mario employee. "You cannot start something and then victimize yourself for it."

"The manager tried to stop the fight multiple times," she added.

Franco said she submitted a surveillance video proving her accusation to police, but it has not been released to the media at the time of this article's publishing.

Protesters gathered Tuesday outside of Pollos Mario in a rally to protest hate crimes as well as the alleged inaction of the restaurant. "We need community resources to stop hate violence," read one sign. "Please stop allowing hate crimes toward LGBTQI+ inside your location," read another.