3 OC men say they were victims of ‘gay bashing' at Newport Beach restaurant & hotel

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (FOX 11) - Three men in Orange County have filed a lawsuit against Newport Beach's Balboa Inn after they say they were victims of 'gay bashing' at the hotel's restaurant earlier this month.

The three men say they went to Siena Restaurant inside the Balboa Inn for dinner on April 13 and were immediately unwelcome.

In their lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court this week, the three men say the woman behind the bar at the restaurant became hostile after asking for their IDs. The lawsuit claims she passed one of the IDs to a patron at the bar who examined it and commented very loudly that it was 'definitely a fake.'

The three men believe that was all a ruse to refuse them service because they are gay and Hispanic. The lawsuit states the ID was not a fake and when the men asked to speak to a manager, they say that is when the bartender yelled for them to get out and called them a gay expletive.

Video captured shows the bartender demanding Angel Bonilla, Colton Moyer and Jay Serafin leave. All of a sudden two of them are physically thrown out by a large man.

"I've never seen anyone that mad...at me...for no reason," said Bonilla.

"She immediately was like "ID's now," said Bonilla.

They say the bartender claimed 39-year-old Serafin's ID was fake.

"Unfortunately what they did was...they were born gay," said their lawyer Jim Bohm.

Their lawyer says, what happened was a hate crime.

"Before we could even finish questioning her that's when she said get out of here *******, get out," said Bonilla.

That's when they say a man grabbed the bar stool from under Moyer.

"I'm seeing my best friend being thrown around and I'm seeing them dragging them and throwing him against a door and then throwing him out. I'm seeing that man and he looks at me and says 'You're next," said Bonilla.

Bonilla says the man came for him....and threw him outside so hard, he's had to see a neurosurgeon. He was concerned he'd suffered a brain injury.

We tried calling, emailing and even walking into Sienna.

The bartender asked me to leave and threatened to call police.

As for the men, they are suing The Balboa Inn and their two owners and also Sienna Restaurant and Bar inside for a million dollars each.

They were left with a broken phone, bruises on their body, and many unanswered questions.

"I would never go back and all I really want...I want to know why. I want to why she did that. I want to know what we did and why she treated us the way she did," said Bonilla.

Newport Beach Police say they are still looking for more witnesses.

They say the suspect who threw out the men will likely be charged with battery, possibly a hate crime.

Angel Bonilla, one of the men seen in the video being thrown out of the restaurant, says he was injured and his cell phone was broken. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

All three men say they were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Hotel management has not yet responded to FOX 11's request for comment.