Authorities investigate possible hate crime in Superior Township

Victim assaulted by 4 men outside home; sheriff's office say he may have been followed after leaving bar

SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The assault on a man outside a home in Superior Township is being investigated as a possible hate crime by the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement, the office said the victim was assaulted Monday night by four men as he sat in a car outside a home in the 8100 block of Autumn Woods Trail.

"[The victim suffered] Bumps and bruises and some scrapes. Hopefully nothing that will be long lasting," sheriff's office spokesman Derrick Jackson said.

The victim's cellphone was also stolen.

Prior to the assault, the victim had been with his boyfriend at Powell's Pub in Ypsilanti.

"The investigation indicates that the victim and his acquaintance were possibly targeted by the suspects due to the victim's sexual orientation and may have been followed after leaving the bar," the sheriff's office said.

No descriptions of the four men were released.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office's confidential tip line 734-973-7711, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 800SPEAKUP.