The victim and their family have publicly stated to multiple news sources that the alleged Dec. 7 attack in Poly Canyon Village was targeted.
The victim’s father told the San Luis Obispo Tribune that the attackers wrongly believed his son was gay. The father clarified to the Tribune that the belief was inaccurate.
“It’s good that I’m safe, but I feel more distressed that it could happen to someone else since we don’t really know who it is,” the victim told KSBY.
The victim, a Cal Poly student, did not want his name shared publicly. Meanwhile, his father, Michael, shared his first name with KSBY News.
The alleged assault began around 3 a.m., when the victim noticed an older white Toyota or Lexus sedan circling him. The six alleged attackers shouted homophobic slurs at the victim, according to the victim and his father.
The situation escalated as the vehicle cut off the victim’s path at the intersection of Village Drive and Canyon Circle. Three men shouted slurs and threats, returned to their vehicle, and at least five attackers then ambushed the victim, his father said.
“I said I just wanted to go home and I walked off and that’s when they cut me off,” the victim told KSBY. “The car pulled up in front of me. Everyone got out and then that’s when the altercation happened.”
The victim suffered a dislocated jaw, a concussion and multiple wounds to his face. The group allegedly punched the victim in the jaw at least six times and stomped on his head, the victim’s father told the Tribune. The victim also had lacerations on his face and a stick inside his ear, nearly puncturing his eardrum.
“He’s healing. The body heals, right? But sometimes we carry those emotional scars. That concerns me the most,” the victim’s father told the Tribune. “Nobody should have to go through that.”
In response to the incident, University Spokesperson Matt Lazier told KSBY that the Cal Poly Police Department has increased patrols in university housing areas, utilizing both police officers and Mustang Patrol personnel.
The university has not released any further details as the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the attack can contact the Cal Poly Police Department and anonymously report to Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP. Tips that lead to the identification and arrest of a suspect may result in a reward, Lazier told the Tribune.
