My friends and I were assaulted by this homophobic man in downtown Salt Lake City last night. Anyone know him? The police are interested in having a chat with him. #SaltLakeCity @slcpd @slcmayor @EqualityUtah
Police in Salt Lake City, Utah, have “made contact” with a man seen assaulting a gay man Sunday, after asking if he was gay.
Investigators say the man is cooperating.
A video recorded by the man who was assaulted shows the suspect, wearing an olive-green shirt and jeans, strike Sal Trejo, 29, as he was standing with his friends outside a bar waiting for a ride.
“Are you gay, though?” the man asked.
Sal Trejo responded: “Oh, I am.”
“Oh, then you’re gay,” the man replied.
Trejo: “Yeah, but you called me a ….”
The man punched in Trejo, who said the man appeared to be aiming for his face but missed and struck his arm.
Trejo Posted the Video on Twitter & Described What Occurred
My friends and I were assaulted by this homophobic man in downtown Salt Lake City last night. Anyone know him? The police are interested in having a chat with him. #SaltLakeCity @slcpd @slcmayor @EqualityUtah
“My friends and I were assaulted by this homophobic man in downtown Salt Lake City last night. Anyone know him? The police are interested in having a chat with him.”
“My friends and I were assaulted by an intoxicated man last night as we left a bar in downtown Salt Lake City. It started with him approaching us out of the blue and making homophobic and misogynistic comments towards our group. We started recording him and asked to ask him to leave, he wouldn’t, and then went on to hit me and shove one of our girlfriends. At this point, we became verbally aggressive to protect ourselves. We called the police immediately. He then pulled out a knife and pointed it towards us while continuing to call us faggots. He eventually ran off, got into his car (in an intoxicated state) and drove on the light rail tracks until he sped away from Main Street. This man is dangerous and needs to be held accountable for his actions. He drives what looked like a 2007 BMW X5. If you know who he is please let me know so that we may alert the police.”
Trejo’s Video Went Viral
A few people have confirmed that he was seen at @LondonBelleSLC last night. We were standing in front of Bodega which is just a few spaces over. We hope you’ll cooperate by checking your camera footage and debit/credit records.
Trejo told Buzzfeed News that he and his friends were waiting for a Uber outside a downtown Salt Lake City bar when the man came out of another venue, walked by the group of friends, and spoke into his phone, saying he was near a “gay guy in the camel coat.”
Trejo and his friends spoke up and the man did too calling them “faggots” and the girls in the group “fat pigs.”
Police Appeared to Get on the Case Quickly
“We are asking anyone with information on this case to call 801-799-3000 and reference case 19-28822.”
The attack occurred in the very early morning hours Sunday.
SLCPD Detectives have made contact with the suspect who is cooperating fully with the #investigation.
By Monday afternoon, Salt Lake City Police tweeted that department detectives “made contact with the suspect who is cooperating fully with the investigation.”
Trejo & His Friends Had Immediate Support
Equality Utah tweeted, “We are deeply alarmed by the video posted by @saltrejo and send him our love. No one should be attacked simply because of who they are. We will work with Sal and law enforcement to ensure that justice prevails. ”
We are deeply alarmed by the video posted by @saltrejo and send him our love. No one should be attacked simply because of who they are. We will work with Sal and law enforcement to ensure that justice prevails. t.co/543tGBa4Ph #utpol
Openly gay Utah State Senator Derek Kitchen called for legislative action.
“It’s time for the UT Legislature to act on hate crimes legislation…”
“Last night, my friend Sal was attacked in downtown SLC for being gay. This is absolutely unacceptable and further underscores the reality that the LGBTQ+ community faces every single day! Our community must be safe from targeted violence. To be attacked simply for being gay violates our deepest shared values of decency and reiterates the urgency of including the LGBTQ+ community in our hate crimes law. We deserve the same protections as other minority groups that face violence based on identity. The time is now ✊?️?”
Sara K Runnels was with Trejo. She said the incident was jarring.
“I was with @saltrejo when this happened last night and I am shook and disgusted at this horrific, hateful homophobe …”
This is a developing story.