WABC-TV(NEW YORK) — A New York City gallery owner said he was left bloodied and bruised after a group of teenagers allegedly attacked him for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
Jahangir Turan, 35, said Thursday that he was beaten up by 15-18 people two days earlier on Canal Street in SoHo around 6:50 p.m.
He was trying to walk through the crowd when the punches began, he said.
“One girl flipped my hat and then within 5, 8 seconds, I got pushed from the back and my face hit the scaffolding pole and I got startled,” Turan told reporters at a press conference.
He said he had just purchased the MAGA hat, which has become synonymous with Donald Trump’s presidency, earlier that day.
Turan, who suffered from broken bones under his eyeball, wasn’t planning on wearing it because “I think it’s dangerous to wear a hat like this in New York City.”
A spokesman for the New York City Police Department said Turan told officers that he was punched by numerous people and his head was pushed into a pole.
The spokesman said the investigation into the alleged assault is ongoing and no arrests had been made.
“I’m a little upset because the police have not made any arrests and it’s kind of ridiculous to get beat up like this for wearing a hat,” Turan said.
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