A young man was brutally beaten early Sunday morning after leaving Micky’s, the gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard, at 1:40 a.m.
Brandon Akridge, 27, in an interview with KTLA, said he woke up in the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with a breathing tube down his throat. He does not remember the attack.
The attack is the latest in a series in the Boystown nightlife district on the west end of Santa Monica Boulevard, with some also occurring in other areas of the city. Last month a young gay man, Christopher Burton, who also identifies himself as Christopher de la Cruz, said he was assaulted at night in a hate crime near the Pavilions grocery store. And in January Anthony Villegas, a 23-year-old gay man, was found unconscious near the Gelson’s grocery store after an apparent assault. Corey Steadman, 25, who is not gay, was attacked and left unconscious on Santa Monica Boulevard near Sweetzer last month.
The most controversial to date was the attack almost a year ago behind Rage bar on Santa Monica of Kirk Doffing, who was left on the ground unconscious. He is slowly recovering but has lost a significant part of his brain. His attackers have not been identified. Doffing’s sister, Jackie Geisinger, is raising money for his care and attempting to raise awareness about the assault problem with an event tomorrow dubbed KirkStrong at West Hollywood Park.
WEHOville has been unable so far to reach Akridge. But in a Facebook post he expressed his anger: “2 attacks on gay men in barely a month within a block of each other. Something needs to be done. If a friend didn’t find me, I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be here today. I stopped breathing not long after the EMT’s arrived. If I was not in medical care I would’ve died. I grew up in a small town in rural Georgia and never had a problem with my sexuality. Why aren’t we safe in WeHo anymore?”
Akridge apparently has yet to file a report with the Sheriff’s Department. In another Facebook post this morning, he said: “I keep being told to file a report with the police. I walk down here and am told they are busy that I can wait 2 hours or so to file my report….”
A GoFundMe account has been created online to get help paying for Akridge’s medical expenses.
As a victim of an assault, a plain old regular one, these things are usually automatically handled by the emergency room immediately. Unless this guy maybe didn’t want to say exactly what happened or when found was alone and without anyone who actually witness’s the assault and usually would dial 911 which always brings along a cop. So if no report was immediately filed and case investigation started which automatically included a detective visit almost IMMEDIATELY after. You see they want a fresh statement from the victim and anything else they find could be important. And without days and time… Read more »
luca d : Some people only see things as they prefer the script to be, and they’ll place blame accordingly (as insane as it might seem to we more neutral, fact-based, types).
i was going to focus my comments on how smart george esparza’s observations and suggestions were…spot on, but then i scroll down and see how wehoville has once again allowed for a political rant and screed, using this tragic attack to blame donald trump, really? the comments by mr. webster are so ridiculous that i am almost blinded by the stupidity. donald trump is not the reason why this young man was attacked, and i think we can safely assess that DT was not responsible for all the other gay bashing attacks occurring in my lifetime. i guess i can… Read more »
This is what happens when you vote for a politician because they are gay you think they are on your side. That’s how children think. This city council is just the regurgitation of the same charlatan’s every year playing musical chairs. We have a city where most of us have endured a gay Holocaust. Yet during that time if you are helping feed people that are ill, deliver medicine, stop by to give condolennces, if your friend has an emergency. This brilliant progressive council has made sure that if you take that risk you’re going to end up with a… Read more »
eternal vigilance is the price of safety. do not walk alone at that time of night, don not over-drink
U.F.B. It’s time to organize and force some sort of action from the Sheriff. Seriously. Enough is enough. If anyone is interested in joining please feel free to email me at brian.radio@gmail.com.
Christopher asks where are the sheriffs when we need them? Many nights I have observed one or more sheriffs units parked outside of the “Studio One” club on the LaPeer side observing the appear to be unruly patrons exiting the club until after 3:00 AM. This also seemed the case when the House of Blues was still open. In the case of the HOB it seemed common for the Fire Department to also have to respond nightly with emergency medical issues. Although Henry disagrees, it’s time we arm ourselves with what ever weapon we feel comfortable with to defend against… Read more »
So sorry to hear this continuing news of people being attacked in West Hollywood. Back in the 70’s Gay Bashing would happen way too often.I send this guy an abundance amount of healing, love and energy. The clubs might think of hiring “Guardian Angels” type of patrol to walk the street and see that people who are alone are safely getting to their destination. They had groups like this back in the 80’s walking the streets, keeping people safer. When I’m alone I put my keys between my fingers when out walking. If you get jumped or harassed you can… Read more »
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Deputies-Investigate-Assaults-of-Gay-Men-in-WeHos-Gay-Boystown-381180751.html?t=124
I cannot help but feel that the demons being unleashed by Donald Trump will be with us for a long, long time — especially if he accedes to the Presidency, but even if he does not. His words and his ascendency to near the pinnacle of power embolden those who hate – Gays, Lesbians, Transgenders, African Americans, Muslims, Latinos of all kinds ( and even people who LOOK like one of the preceding). If he loses to Hillary Clinton, she will be the focus of their wrath for the next 4-8 years, as happened with President Obama. These are very… Read more »
I saw the incident on harper as well. Thought it was excessive. Where sre they at night when they are most needed. Friends don’t let friends go into the night on their own.
There needs to be a response by the city of West Hollywood that is proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. We don’t need “music festivals”, or mechanized parking lots, or high salaries for staff, at the expense of not having enough deputies to patrol to keep our streets safe. Get your priorities “straight”, pun intended, and let’s meet the challenges with the resources necessary to improve safety. If the city has all the money for all these things, they certainly have enough money to improve the state of Public Safety. I always say, spend your resources of time, energy,… Read more »