Third gay-bashing victim comes forward

A third man has now come forward, saying he was attacked early Monday morning in West Hollywood, Calif., near the spot where 33-year-old openly gay actor Trev Broudy and a friend were beaten with a baseball bat and a metal pipe, according to the Los Angeles Times. Officials with the Los Angeles County sheriff's department said both incidents are being investigated as antigay hate crimes. Investigators said the third victim made his report Thursday after learning of the first attack, which initially left Broudy in critical condition. "It was the same night, the same street, the same exact M.O.," said Dep. Donald M. Mueller of the West Hollywood sheriff's station. The third victim, whose name has not been released, was walking near Hilldale Avenue and Cynthia Street at about 1:30 a.m. when a car pulled up and two men jumped out, Mueller said. The 35-year-old West Hollywood resident was struck in the back of the head before he could escape and run toward busy Santa Monica Boulevard. His assailants chased him and hit him again before they fled. He suffered large bruises on the back of his head, but he did not seek medical help, Mueller said. The third victim made his report Thursday as officials were holding a news conference to release a composite sketch of one of the three men alleged to have participated in the beating of Broudy and his friend. Broudy's condition has now been upgraded to serious at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The suspect who attacked Broudy is described as a black man in his 20s, from 5 feet 5 inches to 6 feet in height, with a slim build. He was wearing dark clothing and a skullcap. A third suspect waited in a car, described as a 1987 or 1988 light brown or faded red four-door Nissan. The vehicle has tinted rear windows and may have California license plates with the partial numbers 3SDO or 3SOU. Meanwhile, outraged family members and a local business have offered a reward of $35,000 for information leading to arrests in the beating of Broudy. "We want to show that the business owners and the residents--we're just not going to put up with this," said David Cooley, owner of the Abbey, a West Hollywood restaurant that put up $10,000 of the reward. West Hollywood community officials also said there will be unity marches Friday and Saturday night in response to the attacks.