A no-nonsense gay couple responded to a homophobic attack by a gang of hateful teens by kissing and arming themselves with pepper spray and a stun gun.
Ryan Benson and his husband were at the checkout line at a Ralphs market in Los Angeles when a group of three dozen teens that rode on bicycles came in and stole various items on Saturday.
In images captured by Benson, the teens are seen running towards the store’s exit as a security guard shouted at them. Teenagers continue to come in and out of the store multiple times, with some throwing items at the employees.
As the couple headed to their vehicle, the teenagers on the bikes began surrounding them, prompting Benson to honk the horn once inside to force them to move out of the way.
But instead of moving, some of the teens began making homophobic comments, Benson told the Los Angeles Times. When Benson’s husband asked them to repeat the slurs, the teens asked the couple if they were gay, dashcam footage shows.
The couple, enraged, replied they were together and began kissing, prompting the teens to start yelling hateful slurs.
‘Snowflakes!’ the men shouted back at the teens.
As Benson tried driving away, one of the teens threw his body into the the driver’s side of the car while his friends kicked the vehicle.
That’s when Benson got out of the car with pepper spray and his husband got out with a stun gun and they chased away the group.
Bryan Benson and his husband responded by kissing after a group of teens launched a homophobic attack in Los Angeles
When the teens continued to surround the car, Benson and his husband got our armed with pepper spray and a stun gun
One of the teens threw himself against the couple’s car as they were trying to drive away
‘Neither of us was interested in being passive victims of a hate crime in our own neighborhood,’ Benson told the LA Times.
Benson told the outlet he used the pepper spray at least once when some teens approached the car again.
He added that he and his husband are now considering purchasing a gun for self-defense.
The footage shows that someone threw a rock at the car as they drove away.
LA police took a report for assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism.
Benson also told DailyMail.com he has been receiving threats on his social media from the teenagers.
‘I reported one of the teens to their principal on Tuesday, and, based on how the rest of them have been posting on Instagram, he was turned in,’ Benson said.
‘It hasn’t stopped the rest of them from inundating my Instagram and TikTok DMs with fake tips, more slurs, and threats that they’re going to hurt us.’
When Benson’s husband asked the teens to repeat the slurs, the teens asked the couple if they were gay, dashcam footage shows
Groups of dozens of teens have been terrorizing the Los Angeles area
Benson, right, and his husband, left, are now considering purchasing a gun for self-defense
The incident appears to be part of a trend where large groups of teenagers on bikes burglarize stores and attack drivers in the Los Angeles area.
Just two hours before the attack against Benson and his husband, another person was surrounded by teens on bikes in the area before they were punched in the face, the LA times reported.
Both incidents are similar to various attacks by teens reported over the last months in LA.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and they don’t have additional information.
