Police say they will investigate the early Thursday morning stabbing of a man on Echo Park Avenue as a hate crime and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to Al Polehonki of the LAPD's Northeast Division, one of the male suspects made a derogatory comment about the victim's sexual orientation, then produced a knife and stabbed him in the side.
According to Polehonki, two men and a woman in their 20s are now being sought by police.
Polehonki says the suspects fled on foot. He also noted that he didn't see anything in the police report that would indicate gang influence.
The stabbings occurred just after midnight on Thursday as the man sat with a friend at a bus stop at Echo Park Avenue and Montana Street.
Polehonki says the victim was treated for a puncture wound and is in stable condition.
Note: An earlier report relying on other news reports stated that there were two stabbing victims. According to Polehonki, the official police report reflects only one. The attack on the other man is being investigated as an aggravated assault.
