Gay Couple Attacked In Utah
Image: Image: Christian Peacock
Salt Lake City Police are investigating a hate crime against a gay couple in Sandy, Utah.
According to the Associated Press, Christian Peacock, 18, and his boyfriend Jacob Metcalf, 18, were attacked by a group of young men outside Peacock’s family home just after midnight on August 6.
Peacock and Metcalf were outside the home when a group of young men drove by in a car. Two of the men got out of the car and started using homophobic language and taunting the couple.
Peacock told one of the young men,“You’re probably also gay and acting out because of it.”
This is when Peacock was punched in the side of the head. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the punch was “so hard that he’s still got teeth marks indented inside his cheek from the impact.”
He can then be heard on the video saying “You think you can just hit people?”
Later Peacock was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries, including a concussion.
According to Sandy Police Sgt. Greg Moffit, a 17-year-old was arrested for assault. Charges have not yet been filed.
Moffit is looking into including a hate crime enhancement to the charges because he says, “it was very obvious that the suspect knew (Peacock) was a gay man and he was targeted for that.”
He continued “We want our residents to know and we want the public to know that if this happens in our city we’re not going to tolerate it. If it’s a hate crime we’re going to pursue it as a hate crime.”
