A Chicago gay man said he was the victim of a hate crime on a CTA Red Line train late Feb. 12, according to NBC 5.
Ryan McCarthy was returning home when he was attacked by a fellow passenger, who made anti-gay remarks.
“All I did was sit next to this passenger on this train,” he said. “He shoved me off the chair—I landed on the floor—and he started punching me in the face.”
McCarthy stood up and the attacker continued to punch him. “It wasn’t until other passengers created a barrier between me and him that he actually stopped,” he added.
Van Sewell, who witnessed the incident, said, “I was scared for myself and everyone else on the train. Some onlookers tried to grab the guy and hold him back.”
The attacker left the train at the Clark/Division stop. McCarthy sustained injuries in the attack and is going public with cell phone photos of the attacker.
“It was so hateful, such a hate crime,” McCarthy said. “All I did was sit next to this other passenger on the train. I didn’t touch him. I didn’t look at him. Never made eye contact. That’s why it was such a huge surprise to me.”
In a statement, CTA said it was confident the attacker would be caught. Chicago Police told NBC 5 that an investigation into the matter is underway.
NBC 5’s story is at bit.ly/1QkjMNp.