A 24-year-old man recalled on Tuesday in harrowing detail how three men filmed themselves punching him in the face after they called him "faggot" and "gay boy."

Surveillance video released Tuesday by the Broward Sheriff's Office shows one of the attack suspects leaving a Walgreens, at 8790 W. McNab Road, before the incident at about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 30. Authorities are asking the public to help track down the man.

The victim, Mark Samnath, of Tamarac, said the attack, in a residential area northwest of West McNab and North Pine Island roads, left him with two small visible scars.

Also, he said, he's been emotionally scarred.

He said he is fearful about walking around his neighborhood in the afternoons. "I'm nervous around that time," Samnath said. "I'm hoping they catch these people."

Samnath, who said he is openly gay, is convinced his sexual orientation motivated the attackers.

Under Florida law, that makes the attack a hate crime, the Sheriff's Office said. The classification elevates the crime from third-degree felony to second-degree felony battery, and conviction carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

"When they are caught, these assailants will face enhanced penalties for their crimes," Sheriff's Cmdr. Rick Wierzbicki said in a statement.

Samnath moved to South Florida from New York in September.

The day of the attack, he had shopped at the Walgreens and walked across the street past Tamarac Commons Park, where the three men were. He said he smelled marijuana smoke coming from the park, but didn't confront the men about it.

Without provocation, the men began calling him "faggot" and "gay boy," Samnath said.

He kept walking west on McNab Road and realized the men were following him. One was pointing a camera at Samnath, officials said. At the corner of Northwest 89th Avenue and Northwest 70th Street, two of the men attacked.

They launched verbal slurs and threats, then punched Samnath in the face, as the third man appeared to record the attack with a professional-style Canon, the Sheriff's Office said.

Afterward, Samnath's face was swollen, with deep cuts and bruises. He would not go to the hospital because he had no medical insurance, a Sheriff's Office report stated.

Samnath's attackers appeared to be 19 to 20 years old, and about 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds.

Authorities ask anyone with information to contact Sheriff's Detective Dave Lewis at 954-321-4200 or Broward Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-8477.

Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report. jcortega@tribune.com or 954-356-4701