7 suspects sought in possible anti-gay bias crime attack in Hell's Kitchen
HELL'S KITCHEN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police have released new surveillance video of the suspects sought in a possible hate crime attack in Hell's Kitchen that left a 44-year-old man hospitalized.
Authorities say the group of seven young people seen in the video beat a man, unprovoked, and stabbed him in the thigh while making anti-gay remarks.
It happened at 10th Avenue and 44th Street at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the attack.
Exclusive video shows the moments good Samaritans helped Raphael Ribot to safety after the attack.
Police say it started when the group of suspects, believed to range in age from 18 to 20 years old, made an anti-gay statement to the man.
Ribot said normally he wouldn't respond to anti-gay slurs he said he often faces, but on this day he chose to defend himself.
"How many times can you come up to someone and try to nullify your worth before you can't take it?" Ribot said.
When he confronted them about the remark two of the suspects punched the victim in the head, while another pulled a knife and stabbed him in the leg.
"They are repeatedly punching me in the head," Raphael Ribot said. "Someone threw a glass bottle and then I'm getting stabbed all happened in two minutes."
The knife attack sending Ribot to the ground before good Samaritans intervened.
Eyewitness News Reporter Crystal Cranmore spoke exclusively with one of the good Samaritans.
"Is that real, it looked fake and then I saw the one big kid, like kick jump, a flying kick to the guy," the good Samaritan said. "I said no that's real. My tattoo artist pulled his belt off. I said let me put this around his leg."
The suspects then fled east on West 44th Street. No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
READ ALSO| 'Swatting' threats target dozens of school districts in New York
Eyewitness News is tracking crime and safety across New York City and in your neighborhood
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
