The man pictured in the center with a baseball cap and glasses is the attacker Austin police are still trying to identify.
Austin police released surveillance footage this morning of an assault on two gay men during Austin Pride weekend on Sept. 21.
The video shows Nick Soret ordering pizza when a man speaks to him, then knocks his pizza out of his hands. His friend, Andrew Oppleman, intervene and the suspect begins punching Oppleman. Oppleman lost six teeth and suffered a fractured jaw in the attack.
The video was obtained from the pizza truck owner.
The video shows another man who walks up with the attacker. Police arrested Jin Yung Park, 31, that night for public intoxication, but since the incident, he has moved and hasn’t returned police phone calls, Austin’s KVUE reports.
The attacker is described as an Asian male in his late 20s or early 30s and is about 6 feet tall with a muscular build.
Police are still looking for witnesses and are investigating the incident as an anti-gay hate crime.
“It’s crucial. The high-quality security video shows the assault as plain as day,” APD Cpl. Anthony Hipolito told KVUE. “You can see it even though it is dark outside. The assault was clear. You can see who this guy is.”
GetEQUAL TX is planning a March Against Hate event tomorrow morning where participants will march to the state Capitol and hear from victims of hate crimes, including Oppleman.
Watch the video below.
