19-year-old attacked by stranger outside Pelican Larry’s Bar near FGCU

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a 19-year-old was attacked as he left a bar called Pelican Larry’s near FGCU in south Fort Myers. Michael White said he was waiting for an Uber outside the establishment at 1:30 a.m. Saturday when a group of strangers in a dark-colored SUV started shouting homophobic slurs at him. “I think it was definitely a hate crime. I could tell just by the way they were yelling. They had the windows rolled down while they were driving and they were yelling ‘f*****’ because I’m bisexual and gay and they don’t approve of it,” White said. White said he ignored the strangers and moments later one of them got out of the car and attacked him. “He hit me while I was on the ground, kicked me, punched me, slammed my face repeatedly into the concrete,” he said. Witnesses told investigators the perpetrator was another young man wearing a red shirt with blond, shaggy hair. White said he woke up in intensive care with a brain hemorrhage and a broken nose. White said he was celebrating his 19th birthday with friends at the eatery on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. He said Pelican Larry’s is a restaurant that turns into a bar in the evenings. Many FGCU students hang out there. White said he had a great time at the bar that night and did not get into an argument with anyone. “If you have any information about Friday night, were in the area, saw anything online or social media, please contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office with any information,” White said.