Attack victims believe they were targeted for being gay

Source KSDK 5 (NBC Missouri)

St. Louis Police are investigating an attack early Saturday outside a nightclub on Chouteau Avenue. And while police say it's too soon to tell whether this will be categorized as a hate crime, the victims believe they were targeted because they're gay. Jacob Piwowarczyk says, "I have a soft tissue bruise on my elbow. I have six stitches in my eye and I have a mild concussion." These are the physical reminders, of a night Piwowarczyk won't soon forget. He and two friends were leaving the Complex Nightclub when it happened. Piwowarczyk says, "They came up out of the car and they start calling us f*^%#." He says there were four of them, men who had just left another bar that shares the parking lot. He says, "We kept telling them please leave us alone, we're fine. From there, the one kid didn't like what we told them and decided to punch me in the eye and I fell to the ground. And at that time my friend was laying on the ground and they started kicking him in the face."