D.C. police say the assault of a gay man by a group of as many as 15 people as he was leaving a McDonald’s on 14th and U streets on Sunday is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The man, 22-year-old model Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, had stopped by the fast food restaurant to get a quick bite after a night out at bars nearby, but decided to leave because of the long lines.
As he headed to the door, a young woman screamed at him, allegedly saying that, “He needed to watch where the f— he was going, and to say, ‘excuse me.’”
Lascarro’s husband Stuart West told WTOP that when Lascarro headed toward the door, a group of people surrounded him, blocking his way out.
West said that the group then called his husband homophobic slurs. “They said, ‘You f—–, I’m going to teach you how to say excuse me.'”
“One thing I’ve always told Thomas since he’s moved here, is when you encounter individuals, either on the street or in any establishment that may be aggressive or coming at you in a certain way that makes you uncomfortable, the best option for you to do is just simply ignore them and (try) to get away,” said West.
“He decided to try and raise his hand and get out of there … by pushing them to the side to get to the door,” said West. “As soon as that happened, they all started beating on top of him.”
West, who was home asleep on that night, said his husband told him the attack spilled outside onto the sidewalk where the group continued to hit him and call him slurs.
“He’s on the ground by himself, alone, no one is intervening, and everyone else is hyping each other up to get more aggressive,” said West.
While Lascarro was on the ground, he tried to FaceTime call his husband and accidentally filmed trash and drinks being dumped on him.
“I woke up to this FaceTime from my husband, his face (was) unrecognizable,” said West. “I felt powerless. I felt useless. I felt really in shock. And then later on, of course, the anger ensued because of the whole situation.”
Lascarro was able to get up and move away from the sidewalk outside the restaurant before collapsing against a wall. Two people passing by saw him and stayed with him as he called police.
He was transported to Howard Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
In an email to WTOP, D.C. police confirmed the incident is being investigating as a potential hate crime.
West, who works for a federal agency, has been asking himself if D.C. is the right place for him and his husband to call home.
“Washington, D.C. is hosting World Pride 2025. How are we going to invite the LGBTQ+ community of the whole world to come here and celebrate being open, free and safe, when, in fact, our residents, who live here aren’t open, safe and protected?” he said.
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