A gay couple in Austin, TX were brutally attacked in downtown Austin in the early hours of Saturday morning. Both were hospitalized for their injuries. 

Spencer Deehring and Tristan Perry say they were holding hands with each after leaving a friends birthday party Friday night, as they had just left the Rain nightclub on 4th Street at around 2:45 a.m. when a man walked past them and said a homophobic slur to them.

Deehring saying something like “I’m sorry I couldn’t hear you.”

Then he said that man called over to his group of friends who were out of sight, motioned for them to come over, and within a few seconds, the group was following Deehring and Perry as they walked to their car

“They started following behind us pretty closely yelling every expletive you can think of,” Deehring said. That’s when Deehring said one of the men punched Perry in the face, breaking his nose and causing him to fall to his knees. Next, he recalls two other men stepped in and hit Perry again until he was laying on the ground. Then, Deehring said another man kicked Perry in the back of the head. 

Deehring said he immediately tried to tackle the men who were attacking his boyfriend.  Deehring was then knocked unconscious by the men punching him.

A bystander called 911 and waited there until police and EMS arrived. Both Deehring and Perry were hospitalized. 

“If the bystander had not been there [the attackers] may have continued, it may have been much worse,” Deehring said.

Tristan Perry suffered a laceration on the back of his head, his nose is broken,  he has swelling in his face up to his cheekbones, his lip is busted, his teeth are chipped, he has neck and upper back pain and his memory has some lapses. 

Spencer Deehring has swelling to his mouth and jaw as well as lacerations on his forehead that required skin glue. He also has bruising from blows to the back of his head and neck.

The attackers have not been found at the time of this posting.

The couple launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for their medical expenses.