A Manhattan man who told police he was the victim of an anti-gay hate crime while waiting for the subway in New York City over the weekend lied about the incident, police say.

What happened?

The New York Post reported Sunday that a man, who was waiting for the subway in Tribeca, was assaulted by two men shouting anti-gay slurs.

The 25-year-old victim was allegedly attacked following a verbal altercation with the two men, police said. The assault left the victim with a laceration on his head that required eight stitches, the New York Daily News reported.

Meanwhile, police combed the neighborhood for the alleged attackers, who fled the scene on foot.

What are police saying now?

After interviewing witnesses, police now say the victim was actually the attacker. The Post reported Monday that the victim initiated the attack — not the two unidentified men he accused.

The Post reports:

Police interviewed multiple people, however, who witnessed the incident and said the straphanger was the aggressor. Video obtained by police allegedly shows him spitting at subway riders when the suspects-turned-victims step in and try to stop him.



Cops believe the man was drunk and that no gay slurs were ever made.

Police said they will not file charges against the man for filing a false police report, The Post reported.