A young gay man was attacked by a gang of men at Detroit's Motor City Pride on Sunday, with the entire incident being caught on tape, Huffington Post reported.
Footage of the violence shows Christin Howard, who is openly gay, being beaten by a group of attackers, ranging from five to eight men, along Detroit's Riverwalk, which is situated near Hart Plaza.
As the attackers viciously kick and punch him, Howard is shown to eventually end up on the ground, according to Jeff Vaughn.
Howard, 20, told WXYZ-TV that he and a friend were posing for a photograph near Hart Plaza, where the Pride celebration was taking place, when the unprovoked assault was carried out.
The attackers initially circled him, commenting on his long hair, calling him homophobic slurs and threatening him with violence.
In the video footage, some bystanders can be heard cheering on the assailants, WXYZ-TV reported.
"He dropped him! He dropped him!" one member of the crowd can be heard saying. While few people are vocal in expressing support for Howard, one woman on the tape tells one of the attackers to "chill."
The group began threatening Howard with anti-gay epithets, with one of the attackers claiming to have a gun, according to WXYZ, a Michigan-based ABC affiliate.
"Will I go back to pride? I'm kind of iffy about it right now, because I don't want that incident to happen again," Howard told the news channel. "What if the same guys are there?"
According to Deadline Detroit, Howard suffered a broken finger, an injured eye and bruises as a result of the attack.
He said he has had trouble sleeping since Sunday and will not be able to work as a hairdresser until his hands heal.
In April, a 28-year-old Michigan lesbian was reportedly beaten unconscious by three men who shouted anti-gay epithets, according to CNN. The alleged attack took place nine days after her same-sex wedding.
