ROGERS PARK — A gay-owned restaurant and bar in Rogers Park was the target of a homophobic attack Monday as a man with a hammer threatened customers and smashed the glass front door, according to authorities.
A man and a woman were getting out of their car around 5:40 p.m. Monday near R Public House, 1508 W. Jarvis Ave., when a man walked up and began shouting homophobic slurs and threatening them, police said in an incident report.
The man and woman walked into R Public House, but the hammer-wielding man returned and continued his verbal attack.
An employee told ABC-7 the man yelled “anti-gay slurs” and was told to leave, but he then took out a hammer and smashed a window in the bar’s front door.
“Nothing like a homophobic guy with a hammer yelling anti-gay slurs at customers and threatening them to shake up the night,” R Public House’s management wrote in a tweet. “WTF is wrong with people.”
No injuries were reported, police said. An arrest has not been made in the case.
R Public House bills itself as a “community driven pub that welcomes everyone,” according to its website. It routinely hosts community events and fundraisers. Owners Sandra Carter and Renee Labrana also own neighboring Jarvis Square Tavern.
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