Deputies Investigate Possible Hate Crime After Victim Is Punched, Called Homophobic Slur

The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office said someone yelled a homophobic slur at a man before punching him in the face.

It all unfolded on July 31 in the parking lot outside of the Sunset Patio Bar in Oklahoma City. Five days after his attack, Michael Wilson is still shocked. 

“Not one time in my life did I think that just because I was bi or what not I’m just going to get punched for that? That’s crazy,” he said.

Just after 2 a.m. Wilson and two other friends were leaving the bar when he said things went from fun to dangerous.

“He comes from behind me and just knocks me out and I fall cold to the ground. I had two friends with me, one got punched in the face by the same dude and the other one got grabbed by the neck and thrown to the gravel,” he said.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office released the surveillance video. A green truck can be seen pulling into the parking lot near a group of people and parks, that’s when Wilson said the attack happened.

“They were simply walking to their car after a night out, someone pulled over and screamed a homophobic slur at them. Next thing you know punches are being thrown and the gentleman is laying on the ground bleeding,” said Aaron Brilbeck with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office.

The video shows several witnesses around the truck. The sheriff’s office is asking those witnesses to reach out. 

“It’s 2021, this type of vile attack, there is no place for this kind of thing in society anymore. This won’t be tolerated you can’t just randomly walk up to somebody, shout a homophobic slur at them and attack them,” said Brilbeck.

Wilson has a message for his attacker.

“Think about your actions, think about how you affect other people’s lives because that just was not right and it really hurt mine,” he said.

Deputies are investigating this as a possible hate crime.