The Durango Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying a man accused of attacking and injuring another person in the 900 block of Main Avenue early Saturday.
The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime because the suspect allegedly expressed he wanted to fight someone based on sexual orientation. A Durango Police Department Facebook post said the incident occurred at 1:16 a.m. Saturday.
DPD spokeswoman Amanda Garrison said the victim reported the man exited El Rancho Tavern and announced “he wanted to fight a queer.”
“The victim said something like, ‘Hey, you shouldn't say that’ – or something to that effect – and then the guy just clocked him,” Garrison said. “Nobody agreed to get into a fight.”
The victim suffered injuries to the nose and mouth, the post said.
Garrison said the suspect’s initial punch also struck a nearby woman in the chest, though she was uninjured.
Police did not identify the victim or the woman.
The suspect left the scene on foot with another individual, the post said.
“Officers are investigating this as a possible bias-motivated crime,” the post said.
Under Colorado law, a crime that is motivated by racial, sexual or other bias that involves causing bodily injury to someone can be charged as a Class 5 felony, the post said.
“This type of violence is deeply concerning,” Garrison said. “No one should be targeted or assaulted because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.”
Garrison said the suspect has not yet been identified and the investigation remains ongoing. She urged anyone with any information or tips about the man’s identity to contact DPD’s tip line at 375-4730.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
