Adam Granados
A bartender at the Rainbow Lounge said he was attacked in the parking lot of the Fort Worth gay bar early Monday.
Adam Granados said he’d just gotten off work and was in the parking lot at about 1:15 a.m. when he was attacked from behind.
“Someone hit me in the back of the head and knocked me down,” Granados said. “When I got up, he hit me in the face.”
Granados, who suffered severe cuts and a hairline fracture to his eye socket, said he doesn’t know if the incident was a hate crime, a simple assault or an attempted robbery. He doesn’t remember the assailant saying anything. Since the attack occurred at the end of Fort Worth’s gay Pride weekend, and he was wearing a Pride T-shirt outside a gay bar, he said he may have been targeted for his sexual orientation.
Fort Worth police spokeswoman Sharon Neal said the incident isn’t being investigated as a hate crime because no epithets were spoken and no evidence such as spray-painted slurs was left, although she said hate may have been the motive. No suspects or witnesses have come forward.
On Saturday, two protesters were arrested at the Pride parade in downtown Fort Worth. No other incidents related to Pride were reported.
Granados said the attacker tried to grab his phone but didn’t get it. He doesn’t know whether the suspect was trying to steal the phone or prevent him from calling for help. The attacker fled by car as Granados made it back inside the bar.
Someone in the Rainbow Lounge called 911. Granados filed a police report and was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital.
A CT scan revealed a hairline fracture under his eye socket. He needed two stitches on the corner of his eye and three under his eye. He also suffered scrapes and bruises. Today, he said, he has been able to open his eye slightly.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Fort Worth Police Department at 817-335-4222.
