Police Investigate Claims of Michigan Hate Crime

A Grand Rapids, Mich., man says he was the victim of a sudden and violent hate crime Wednesday evening.

David Battjes, 51, told police he was wearing a West Michigan Pride shirt as he walked to his vehicle after attending an Equality Michigan meeting. It was then, he says, that two men in their 20s who were walking past suddenly attacked him.

"They threw me against the wall. They called me a f----t. They told me 'You don't deserve to live," Battjes told The Grand Rapids Press.

Grand Rapids Police captain Jeff Hertel said police are investigating the incident and that detectives want to interview the alleged victim.

"I had never dreamed anything like this could happen," Battjes said. "I never thought people could be so intolerant and ignorant."

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