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Hate Crime Investigation Underway After Beating Hospitalizes Gay Davis Man

DAVIS (CBS13) - A Davis man was attacked and badly beaten Sunday, and believes the crime is rooted in hate of his sexuality.

"Even if you think it's your back doorstep, it's a scary, scary world," said Mikey Partida.

Investigators are looking into whether or not the openly gay Davis man was targeted because of his sexuality.

"You'd think in your hometown, which is Davis, you wouldn't think anything at your doorstep would hit you that hard," said Partida.

His right eye is still swollen shut and his face is covered in cuts. Soft-spoken, Partida is groggy after suffering from a severe concussion.

"I couldn't fight them off. I've never been in a fight," said Partida.

He doesn't remember much after the first punch, but will never forget the homophobic slurs he says his attackers hurled at him.

"They were just saying the f-word -- the gay word -- but f," said Partida.

It happened out of nowhere. Partida was walking with his cousins late Sunday in his hometown of Davis. He says his attackers followed him down the sidewalk, creeping closer and closer -- calling him names until they jumped him.

"That was just an easier target for them. They knew I was gay. They knew they were taller and bigger, and knew how to fight," said Partida.

He was kicked and punched until he was unconscious, left beaten and bloody on his cousin's front lawn.

"There was not only a pool of blood, but a puddle of blood under him," family member Erik Swanson said. "It's really tough that we currently are in a place where this can happen to such a good person."

Partida now begins a slow, painful recovery that may linger long after his physical injuries heal.

"I just assume everyone's nice but there's bad people out there," Partida said.

This isn't the first hate crime investigation in Davis.

Last June 19, a noose was found hanging from a goal post at Davis Senior High School. Days later on June 21, a swastika and the n-word were spray painted on a bike trail underneath Interstate 80. Then, on November 1, a person found the KKK etched on the hood of a parked car in a Davis neighborhood.

So far, no arrests have been made in any of those cases.

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