Apr. 12—The Albuquerque Police Department is still looking for the man responsible for two attacks in the Downtown area on Wednesday.

APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said police are investigating if the two beatings were related and if one of them may qualify as a hate crime.

He said those who were attacked — two elderly men and a woman — were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Crime Stoppers said the suspect is described as 5-feet-10, with strawberry-colored hair and light-colored eyes. He drove a red Ford pickup with Arizona license plate number EPA88K.

The attacks happened within an hour of each other.

Gallegos said police responded around 1 p.m. to the first attack outside St. John’s Thrift Shop on Central, just west of 14th. He said two volunteers in their 70s told police the driver of a red pickup attacked them. The men told police the driver got out of the truck and started hitting both men.

“The victims said the suspect yelled homophobic slurs and threatened to kill them as he attacked them,” he said.

Gallegos said detectives are “following all leads to determine if this incident qualifies as a hate crime.”

Not long after, at 2:20 p.m., police responded to reports of a woman being beaten on Silver SW, between 11th and 12th.

Gallegos said a woman told police she went for a run on her lunch break around noon and saw a red truck speeding toward her. He said the woman told police the driver did not stop at a stop sign, but then “stopped and waved for the woman to cross the street.”

“The woman said she did not feel comfortable crossing, as she had observed his erratic driving, and waved for him to continue his travel,” he said. “The male became upset by this and quickly exited his truck and closed distance to (the woman) while cussing at her.”

Gallegos said the man punched the woman on her left cheek and she fell to the ground. He said the woman told police the man got back into his truck and drove away.

“The victim returned to work and called police,” Gallegos said.

Anyone with information on the suspect or truck is asked to call 505-843-STOP (7867) or go to p3tips.com/531. A Crime Stoppers release said any information could be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward.