Shocking Assault: Man Attacked for Displaying Affection in Public – Head Injury Ensues

A man from Nevada suffered a severe head injury after being unexpectedly attacked by a stranger on the Las Vegas Strip, reportedly due to showing affection to his boyfriend. The incident, described by authorities and witnesses as a hate crime, left the victim unconscious on the pavement.

During the court proceedings for Manuel Ortiz, who faces charges of battery causing substantial bodily harm with a hate motivation for the 2023 attack, a witness recounted seeing the couple peacefully holding hands and kissing. The witness shared these observations during Ortiz’s arraignment last week.

Ortiz allegedly hurled a homophobic slur at the victim, Juan Cortez, as reported by Cortez and his boyfriend, Andre Rodriguez, who spoke to local CBS station KLAS following the court session.

The couple was enjoying a date night, which included attending a Romeo Santos concert at the T-Mobile Arena, when they crossed paths with Ortiz and two others, according to KLAS.

Cortez shared during the arraignment that Ortiz and his companions allegedly mocked them with derogatory language, expressing disbelief and disdain for the presence of LGBTQ+ individuals in the country.

Surveillance video shown in court allegedly shows Ortiz sucker punching Cortez moments after throwing a beer can at him and being confronted about it by Cortez and Rodriguez, per KLAS.

“All I remember, I was looking at my partner, seeing him go down, and I blacked out,” Rodriguez recounted. “I was really scared,” he said. “I was really scared that Juan was going to die.”

The witness who testified said they saw Cortez “falling to the ground” and then “his head gets cracked open,” according to KLAS. He had to be hospitalized after the alleged incident and received a blood transfusion, as well as stitches.

“I was terrified, you know, I didn’t know why this was something that happened to us,” Rodriguez said. “And I never thought that it would be something that happened here in Las Vegas.”

A local police detective testified that he received a tip last year leading to the arrest of Ortiz and he was charged following an investigation. Ortiz’s defense attorney insists that his alleged actions did not stem from hate and that Cortez started an altercation with Ortiz.

“No one said he was wearing a KKK shirt. There is no evidence, literally, of hate,” lawyer Craig Mueller argued, according to KLAS.

“What was the motivation? Somebody said they heard ‘f—t’ being used, okay…The other guy came up and started cursing at a group of strangers and got hit exactly one time,” Mueller said. “This isn’t a hate crime. It’s a guy who got drunk and decided to pick a fight with some strangers.”

A jury trial is scheduled to take place on Aug. 3.