HATE CRIME

Snickering Bystanders Do Nothing To Stop Violent Antigay Hate Crime Caught On Tape

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All he wanted was a burger. What he got instead was a knuckle sandwich.

25-year-old Jordan Schaeffer was visiting Miami Beach from Los Angeles earlier this month when he was attacked after kissing his boyfriend, Eric Danko, while waiting in line at a Burger King Whopper Bar.

Related: Hate Crime Victim Claims Police Intentionally Left Gay Slurs Out Of Official Report

Surveillance video, which was released this week by police, captured the 3 a.m. attack on March 14. It shows a man in a dark shirt and shorts approach Schaeffer, slam him to the ground then proceed to use his legs to put him in a headlock and pummel him for an entire minute while more than a dozen bystanders look on but do nothing. Some can even be seen snickering and casually walking away.

When Danko tried to intervene and break up the fight, a second man in a light, long-sleeve shirt and jeans can be seen preventing him from doing so.

Related: Disturbing Video Catches Antigay Hate Crime In Atlanta

Witnesses say the attacker screamed antigay slurs before he started beating Schaeffer.

“The subjects in this case happen to be gay individuals and that’s part of our investigation to see what provoked that attack,” Miami Beach police officer Ernesto Rodriguez told a local CBS news station, adding that police are working with the state attorney’s office to solve the case.

Schaeffer walked away from the attack with scratches and bruises and a busted lip. Police are now pursuing the case as a felony battery. Meanwhile, Schaeffer and Danko have hired an attorney and say it should be treated as a hate crime.

Related: NYPD Searching For This Man In Connection With Violent Subway Hate Crime

So far, investigators are still looking for the man who instigated the attack.

See the video of the attack below.

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