A Salt Lake City gay man was hospitalized following a brutal attack last Friday night after leaving a downtown dance club on its gay-themed night.
It is the second attack on a gay man this year outside the same club.
Dane Hall, an openly gay man, lost six teeth and his jawbone was broken in three places as a result of the attack, which left him hospitalized for four days.
Hall said he left Club Sound, which is gay-themed on Friday nights, and crossed the street to the corner of 600 West and 200 South in Salt Lake City, when four men approached him and began yelling gay slurs. He was then punched in the back of the head and knocked to the ground. One of the assailants grabbed his shirt and began punching him in the face, he said.
After Hall fell to the ground again, the attacker grabbed him, placed his open mouth over the street curb and stomped on the back of head, knocking out six teeth in a move commonly referred to as ‘curb checking,’ which can result in death in many cases. Two other assailants kicked him repeatedly in the stomach, Hall said. The attackers called him a ‘fag’ and took his identification and $40, he said.
“I could have died. And a piece of bone from my jaw was jammed into my brain, to make things worse,” Hall said in email correspondence because his jaw is still wired shut after the attack.
Hall said his medical bills could reach $30,000 or more — he is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of his assialants.
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Two accounts have also been set up in Hall’s name to help pay for medical treatment, one at Wells Fargo Bank and one at Zions Bank, both under Dane Hall. Part of the proceeds from Club Sound on Friday will also be going to help Hall.
QSaltLake reports that the attack comes just months after a similar attack in April outside of the same club of another gay man.
On April 23, Jordan Corona, 21, left Club Sound and was attacked from behind by several assailants. Corona was treated for a concussion as a result of the attack, he said.
So far, no arrests have been made in either attack.
