Social media push prompts leads in gay bashing case

Thanks to a social media push, police have a number of leads today in the investigation of an attack on a gay couple by a group of "clean cut" assailants in Center City.

After police posted video of the group walking near the scene of the attack on Tuesday, Internet sleuths turned up what appears to be a photo showing members of the group - or people wearing the same clothes - at a restaurant.

More digging, and the name of a restaurant - La Viola an Italian restaurant on 16th Street near Latimer - appeared on Twitter.

In response, the Police Department later tweeted "Love the outpouring of social media sleuthing happening in our city tonight! Let's keep it up! #BakeEmAwayToys!"

You can read an account on Storify here about how potential leads were tracked down online.

No arrests have been reported so far, but 6ABC has reported that lawyers for some of those who apparently were in the group have contacted police.

That attack, at 10:45 p.m. Thursday on Chancellor Street near 16th, took place in front of stunned onlookers and sent the couple, together for six years, to Hahnemann University Hospital with bruises and, for one of them, severe facial fractures.

The savage blows rained down after the couple bumped against someone in the large group, one member of which asked if they were boyfriends, one victim told the Daily News. The attack was laced with homophobic taunts.

Police described the assailants as "a group of fifteen white males and females in their early twenties, clean cut and well dressed."

The Citizens Crime Commission has announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the attack. Its anonymous tip line is 215-546-TIPS.

Also, Ryan Fenton, general manager of Pennsylvania 6, a restaurant on 12th Street near Sansom, told the Daily News last night that the restaurant's co-owner, Tim Adams, and business partners were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to arrests.