The men had just moved into the Short North area of Columbus because of its inclusive reputation.

Gay Ohio Couple Attacked: “I Thought For Sure This Was The End”

A gay couple attacked in a popular neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, say they were targeted because of their sexuality.

Bryson Beier and Mantej Sandhu say a group of strangers started shouting anti-gay slurs as they were walking by a parking garage near their home in the Short North late Friday night.

CBS 10TV

After a bottle was thrown at them from inside a car, the couple stopped to take a photo of the assailants’ license plate. That’s when another vehicle with four or five men pulled up and the attack turned physical.

“They were like, ’You trying to mess with my boy?'” Sandhu told 10TV. “And then, all of the sudden, they start. They punch me in the face, throw me on the ground. And next to me, he was going through the same thing.”

“I thought I was going to die,” Beier added. “I thought for sure this was the end.”

Sandhu and Beier just moved to their new home from California less than two weeks ago, choosing the Short North because of its reputation for being gay-friendly.

Police are investigating the attack, but Ohio’s hate crime laws do not include sexual orientation or gender identity.