Possible Hate Crime Investigated in P-town

Provincetown police are currently investigating what may have been a hate crime in the seaside town.

Two men, Provincetown locals who are a couple, were walking down Pleasant St. at around midnight on Sunday, July 31, when they allegedly saw a grey sedan driving the wrong way down the one-way street. After alerting the driver that he was going in the wrong direction, things began to escalate. The two men told police that the driver of the grey sedan then began attacking them with a beer bottle, using anti-gay language.

The two men were treated at the scene, but injuries sustained in the incident did not require a trip to the hospital, the Cape Cod Times reported.

"An act like this must be seen as an attack upon the entire community and an offense to all our citizens," Provincetown Police Chief Jeff Jaran told the Times. "Hate crimes differ from conventional crime[s] because they are not directed simply at an individual, but are meant to cause fear and intimidation in an entire group or class of people. We are determined to find the individuals responsible and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The investigation continues in conjunction with the state Attorney General's civil rights division, according to police.

"Our office takes allegations of hate crimes and civil rights violations very seriously," Amie Breton, the AG's Deputy Press Secretary, told Bay Windows. "We work closely with law enforcement to protect anyone in Massachusetts who is victimized because of his or her identity."

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact police detective Meredith Lobur or detective Scott Chovanec at (508) 487-1212.