By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HELL'S KITCHEN — The actions of a few NYPD officers are under investigation after they allegedly failed to arrest a suspect in a bias attack on two gay men outside a bar in Hell's Kitchen on Saturday.
A man tossed a lit cigarette towards Blake Hayes and his friends as they walked by McCoy's Bar around lunch time Saturday, Hayes said. The alleged attacker then told the men to "keep moving" followed by a gay slur, according to 1010 Wins.
A fight broke out and the attacker hit one of Hayes' friends twice in the face and slammed another one into a parked car, the victim said.
When the police officers arrived at the scene, they let the suspect go and said the incident did not constitute an assault, according to Hayes. The victim was not allowed to file a police report.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, whose district covers Hell's Kitchen, demanded the NYPD take a closer look into the incident.
"I am obviously outraged that another bias attack has occurred in our city. But I am also deeply concerned by reports from the victims that NYPD officers responding to the scene did not appropriately recognize the seriousness of the incident," Quinn said in a statement.
"If these reports are true, the behavior of the police officers involved was also outrageous and merits swift action by the police department," she said.
Community outrage and Quinn's response to the alleged anti-gay attack prompted an NYPD investigation into the actions of responding officers.
The Hate Crime Task Force is also investigating the incident.
