Lawrence police are investigating a battery incident that occurred Thursday afternoon near downtown Lawrence as a hate crime.

According to a police report, a 33-year-old Lawrence man reported to police that a car with three men shouted a sexual epithet at him shortly before attacking him in the 300 block of East 12th Street.

The victim reported that he was walking down Massachusetts Street shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday when one of three men in a white Nissan with out-of-state tags drove by and allegedly called him a “faggot.”

The man responded with a hand gesture and continued walking. When he was on the 300 block of East 12th Street, the car reappeared and began following him.

“They were coasting really slow,” said Rob Shoffner, a 31-year-old Lawrence man who witnessed the attack. “They kind of looked like they were up to no good.”

Reportedly a man got out of the car and punched the victim and then continued to attack him while he was on the ground.

“He just came up from behind the guy and just clocked him from behind,” said Meg McCloskey, who was with Shoffner in a car when the incident occurred. “And then continued to beat him until he fell down.”

The man who attacked the victim was described as a 5-foot-11 white male weighing about 200 pounds.

Shoffner drove up to the scene and honked the horn while calling police, whereupon the assailant got back in the car and drove off.

The victim suffered minor apparent injuries, according to a police report.

“He was very thankful to us that someone was watching,” McCloskey said. “He totally got blindsided.”

The victim could not immediately be reached for comment.

“I’ve never seen anything like that happen,” Shoffner, a nine-year resident of Lawrence, said. “I never thought Lawrence would be the place I’d see that happen.”

Kim Murphree said Friday afternoon that no suspects had been located.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime because of the remarks the men allegedly made to the victim before the attack.

Police encourage anyone with information about the incident to call 832-7501.