Gay man chased out of neighbourhood by gun-wielding homophobe yelling ‘we don’t like f****ts around here’
A gay man was chased by a homophobe who called him a ‘f****t’ and pointed a gun at him (Envato Elements)
A gay man was chased out of a neighbourhood in South Carolina by a gun-wielding homophobe who told him: “We don’t like faggots around here, keep going!”
The man was standing near a car on 25 October, near Carolina Street and Rudledge Avenue in Charleston, South Carolina, when the incident occurred.
A stranger approached the victim and asked why he was following him, according to a recording of a 911 call released by police.
“I’ve got this guy following me because I’m gay,” the victim told the 911 operator, ABC News 4 reports. “He’s trying to shoot me. He’s like literally chasing my car.”
The victim added: “He’s like: ‘We don’t like faggots around here, keep going!'”
The man told the 911 operator that he was texting on the street when the man approached him and asked: “What are you following me for?”
He replied: “I was like: ‘Ain’t nobody following you, I’m sending a text message.’ He goes: ‘Y’all are talking gay. We don’t want no gay people around here,’ blah blah blah.”
Police in South Carolina said hate has ‘no place’ in their city.
The assailant reportedly threw a phone charger at the man’s car as he chased after him. Police in Charleston are searching for the aggressor.
Law enforcement authorities are appealing to the public for information on the suspect, who they said was a Black man in his mid-to-late 30s weighing around 190 to 200 pounds.
Charleston police chief Luther Reynolds said authorities would charge the suspect with violating the city’s “Hate Intimidation” ordinance, which prevents people from targeting others based on sexual orientation, gender identity or race.
Those who violate the ordinance can be fined up to $500 and face up to 30 days in jail.
In a statement released in October, Reynolds said: “Hate has no place in the city of Charleston. And while we cannot comment specifically on an ongoing investigation, we can say that we’re actively proceeding under the city’s Hate Crime ordinance and will prosecute this crime to the fullest extent of the law.”
Anyone with information is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 843 554-1111.
