White Man Says He Was Beaten Savagely by Group of Blacks for Dating African-American

A Georgia man was reportedly beaten savagely and "left for dead" by a group of black men who apparently didn't approve that he was dating an African-American girl.

As the interracial couple roamed through Ellis Square, one of Savannah's busiest centers in the historic downtown district, a group of three black men began taunting them, hurling racial slurs and gestures at them. The incident occurred shortly before midnight last Friday, WTOC-TV reports.

Soon after, the men began blowing kisses at the pair and then suddenly jumped the white boyfriend, Andrew Quade, 23, without warning. They proceeded to beat him viciously, leaving him barely holding onto consciousness.

"This shouldn't happen in this day and age. I know we're in the South and all that, but it's time for a change," the girlfriend, Olufisayo Bakre, told WTOC-TV.

The couple says they did not provoke the men prior to the attack. They were just minding their own business, trying to enjoy the evening. The couple is confident that the different colors of their skin prompted the assault.

"One of them was making racial comments at us and one of them was blowing kisses. It was very aggravating," Bakre recounted.

Quade said he did his best to stay calm and ignore them when the men began heckling him and his girlfriend.

"I didn't want to freak out on them because I thought they were saying something about me and my girlfriend. I wanted to get more information and understand the situation. But before I could, I was knocked out," he told WTOC-TV.

And just like that, before he could react, Quade was on the ground and being mercilessly attacked by the gang of men. He said it happened so fast, he still can't make out exactly what happened.

The next thing he knew, he was in an ambulance en route to a local hospital.

"He was basically left for dead," Bakre added. "I was trying to pry them off and before I knew it he was on the floor. It happened all so quickly."

Bakre and Quade say they can't think of any other reason why the group would have attacked them other than because they are a interracial couple.

"I think of this as a hate crime. It's that simple," Bakre said

And while she understands interracial couples in the South sometimes fall victim to intolerance, Bakre said she has never seen anything that has escalated to such brutal violence and hate.

"The worst we've had is people staring or talking about us. But it has never gotten to the level of physical contact until now," she explained.

Police are investigating the incident but surveillance footage of the attack is "grainy" and the cameras were too far away to accurately identify the suspects, officials said.

"I just hope they get caught. I really hope justice prevails," Bakre said.

Watch WTOC's video report here:

(H/T:: Daily Mail)