Man who said he was beaten in gay hate crime admits it was a hoax

A 22-year-old who said he was beaten in a gay hate crime has admitted it was a hoax; he in fact fell doing a backflip. Joseph Baken initially told cops in Missoula, Mont. he was jumped by three men late at night after asking bar patrons where the gay club was. Photos of his badly beaten face circulated the web and the image was posted on gay rights websites. Yet within days, video footage had been leaked to a local newspaper of Baken trying to do a backflip off a curb around 2:30 a.m. and smacking his face into the concrete. Police brought him in for questioning and he admitted the story had been fabricated. [Source]

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