Violent homophobic attack in Manhattan leaves two men injured

The NYPD is searching for two men who allegedly voiced anti-LGBTQ slurs and violently attacked two other men — one of whom needed hospitalization — in Manhattan late last month. Two men, ages 31 and 37, were in front of 1190 Broadway near West 29th Street at around 7:30 p.m. on July 29 when two unknown individuals approached them and hurled anti-LGBTQ slurs at them before pushing, punching, and kicking them, according to police. Immediately after the attack, the pair of alleged assailants fled south on Broadway, the NYPD said. The 31-year-old victim was left with minor injuries and received treatment at the scene, according to police, but the 37-year-old was transported to NYU Langone Tisch Hospital and was listed in stable condition. The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, which occurred outside of a juice bar known as Juice Generation. When reached by phone, an individual who identified as the manager of that juice bar was unaware of the case. The case is similar to one from late June in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, where two individuals voiced anti-LGBTQ statements towards a 43-year-old man at the intersection of Elliot Place and Jerome Avenue, pushed him, and punched and kicked his body. The alleged attackers in that case also hit the victim in the head with a blunt object, cops said, requiring hospitalization at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. The NYPD unveiled details about the attack at 1190 Broadway one day after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced an indictment in a separate case stemming from late April involving a 37-year-old man who was charged with several hate crimes for an alleged homophobic belt attack on a 12-year-old boy.