Cops: Lesbian's rape a hate crime

SAN FRANCISCO - A woman in the San Francisco Bay area was jumped by four men, taunted for being a lesbian, repeatedly raped and left naked outside an abandoned apartment building, authorities said yesterday.

Detectives say the 28-year-old victim was attacked Dec. 13 after she got out of her car, which bore a rainbow gay-pride sticker. The men, who ranged from their late teens to their 30s, made comments indicating they knew her sexual orientation, said Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan.

"It just pushes it beyond fathomable," he said. "The level of trauma - physical and emotional - this victim has suffered is extreme."

Authorities are characterizing the attack as a hate crime.

The 45-minute attack began when one of the men approached the woman as she crossed the street, struck her with a blunt object, ordered her to disrobe and sexually assaulted her on the spot with the help of the other men.

When the group saw another person approaching, they forced the victim back into her car and took her to a burned-out apartment building, where she was raped again. The assailants took her wallet and her car, which was found abandoned two days later.

The woman sought help from a nearby resident, and she was examined at a hospital.

Richmond police are offering a $10,000 award for information leading to the arrest of the attackers. *