Report says assailant at UA voiced gay slurs

FAYETTEVILLE — A 19-year-old student told police he was punched by an unknown person on the University of Arkansas campus who used slurs offensive to the gay community, police said.

A campus police spokesman said the assault probably began as a case of mistaken identity. The assailant “made a comment that didn’t apply to the person he punched,” Capt. Gary Crain said. “But he also used slurs.”

The student reported that about 9:05 a.m. Oct. 10, a man stopped a vehicle on Dickson Street west of Duncan Avenue, got out yelling at him and punched him in the face, Crain said. The university released a statement Friday seeking help from the public in identifying a small, white, two-door car believed to have been driven by the assailant.