Hairstylist brutally beaten outside West Hollywood gay bar in suspected hate crime

A 53-year-old gay hairstylist named Alberto Vasquez was brutally beaten and left to die in a back alley bar parking lot in the city of West Hollywood, California. The April 5 attack left him bleeding and unconscious with a cracked skull — police and his family are still searching for his attacker.

The attack occurred after Vasquez left the Heart WeHo nightclub while bar-hopping early Friday evening. He reportedly left to meet friends at the nearby Gym Bar, but he never arrived. A passer-by found his body in the nightclub’s back parking lot.

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“Die, fa***t, die!” the alleged assailant shouted.

Vasquez underwent brain surgery in Cedars-Sinai Medical Hospital, according to KTLA. There, doctors removed part of his skull to relieve pressure and swelling in his brain, The Daily Mail reported. He was hospitalized for five days before a nurse answered his cell phone to talk with his family.

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“We feel it’s gay bashing — he did not get robbed,” said his sister Gloria Jiminez. “He has got injuries all over his body: His neck, a punch to his face … they fractured his skull around his eye socket. Thankfully his eye is well…. He’s just starting to say a few things.”

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His friend and colleague Michelle Hansen wrote, “We need to find out who did this to our wonderful friend, brother, and uncle.” Vasquez has reportedly styled hair for famous actors and fashion models in Paris and New York.

The West Hollywood Sheriff’s Office is searching for clues to find his attacker.

“We do not know if he was randomly attacked by a stranger in what could be a homophobic or racist hate crime, or if he was attacked by someone he interacted with at one of the bars,” stated a $50,000 GoFundMe campaign for Vasquez’s medical and living expenses. The campaign has raised $48,772 as of Monday morning at 8 a.m. EST.

“We are relieved that he is expected to survive, but he will need multiple surgeries, has possible brain damage, and has a long road ahead to recovery,” it added.

The West Hollywood Sherrif’s Station has asked anyone with information to contact 310-855-8850.