Watch CBS News

Brooklyn Man Says He Was Victim Of Hate Crime

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- David Jimenez doesn't remember much from last Thursday night except for a broken nose, a fractured eye socket, two black eyes and a swollen jaw.

Jimenez was walking his dogs around 11:30 p.m. on South Third Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- about a block from his apartment -- when he heard a man shouting homophobic slurs at him, he told CBS 2's Tracee Carrasco.

"The next thing I know I have a person behind me," said Jimenez. "I turn around, and the first thing I feel is a punch in my face."

Brooklyn Man Says He Was Victim Of Hate Crime

Witnesses called 911, and police arrested his alleged attacker. Jimenez said he doesn't know who the man is, only that he's 35 years old.

"What the cops told me that night when I was in the ambulance (was) that he was at a funeral and he was very upset," Jimenez said. "I'm sorry for him, but that is no reason to attack someone like this."

Jimenez will undergo surgery Wednesday to fix his broken nose and eye socket.

While he is healing from his injuries, Jimenez said the emotional scares will linger.

"That's the most difficult part -- waking up every morning and trying to live my life like normal," he said.

The man who allegedly attacked Jimenez was charged with assault, criminal possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest, but Jimenez also hopes prosecutors will file hate crime charges.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.