Steward Butler, a running back for the Marshall University football team in Huntington, West Virginia, has been arrested and charged with battery after beating a gay couple he saw kiss on the street, WSAZ reports:

Investigators said the couple involved, Zackery Johnson and his partner, Casey Williams, were walking down the street, when Butler spotted them embracing and kissing and began yelling slurs and punched them.

Huntington Police said Butler was, at first, in a car with two other Marshall football players.

“He was traveling in the vehicle, he saw this, saw these two individuals walking, saw them give each other a kiss. He had the driver stop the car, he gets out, confronts him and said some choice, some bad choice words,” HPD Detective Chris Sperry said. The couple tells us they were in town visiting friends, and were headed to their hotel after dinner and a few bars.

Investigators said after Butler punched the two men, in an apparent hate crime, the other two Marshall players told him to stop and leave.

Huntington Police said Butler claimed the attack was out of self-defense and that none of the men in the confrontation knew each other.

Watch WSAZ’s report, AFTER THE JUMP…

The ‘Dallas BBQ’ restaurant has released a statement about the horrific attack on a gay couple at its Chelsea location:

Dallas BBQ is deeply saddened by the altercation between several of our patrons at our Chelsea location on Tuesday night. We have been proudly serving Chelsea for over a decade and will not tolerate violent or hateful behavior within our restaurant.

We are fully cooperating with the investigation by the NYPD to apprehend the attacker and actively seeking justice for the victims of the attack. As a staple of New York, Dallas BBQ celebrates a diverse clientele at all of our locations and will continue to make everyone feel welcome and safe.

If you or anyone you know has any information that can assist the NYPD in this investigation, please contact the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS or at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

If you missed the video and earlier reports on this violent attack, you can read about it HERE. (warning: graphic)