Philly City Councilman Calls For DOJ To File Hate Crime Charges In Mob Attack

Philadelphia City Councilman Jim Kenney today called upon the federal government to investigate last week's mob gay-bashing as a hate crime as there are no such laws in the state of Pennsylvania.

Kenney called the incident "a violent and vicious attack on two human beings because they are gay." "It's a crime of violent bias that calls for the full weight of federal prosecution by the United States Department of Justice," he wrote in a statement. No arrests have been made in the case, although police were talking to several persons of interest Wednesday night. Investigators plan to interview more of the people in the video Thursday, said one law enforcement source involved in the case. The investigation, the source said, could stretch into the weekend. "We are continuing our interviews, trying to be as thorough as possible on exactly what took place," the source said. "We are trying to find out who participated in the actual attack and who stood by, and who was merely a witness."

Details on why Pennsylvania has no such laws are here.