Gay man says he was set on fire in ‘hate-filled’ attack in San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KABC) — A Southern California man said a routine walk turned into a nightmare, which ended with him being targeted with gay slurs before being set on fire.

According to KGTV, the ABC affiliate station in San Diego, 39-year-old Scott Rowin went to a restaurant in his neighborhood on Monday to ask about a job.

He said somewhere within a few blocks, he heard two people yelling gay slurs.

“Started hearing f*** this, f*** that. The word came up quite a bit,” Rowin told KGTV.

Rowin, who is gay, yelled back and said the next thing he knew, he was being doused with some sort of liquid.

“Immediately after that, I went up kind of like coals on a barbecue,” he said. “Instantly just went into flames. They were obviously out targeting LGBT community.”

Rowin said he suffered second-degree burns, mostly along his torso, hip and back.

It’s unclear if he’ll need surgery.

Rowin believes this was a hate crime and has since filed a police report.