Reality Show Star Alleges Attack at Make-a-Wish Fashion Show

Reality show star and fashion designer Pol' Atteu says he was attacked at a fashion show fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. No arrests have been made.

The incident is said to have occurred at St. John's Cathedral in Los Angeles on Friday, following a fashion show staged for Atteu's reality show, Gown and Out in Beverly Hills. Atteu appears on the program with husband Patrik Simpson, which is broadcast on Amazon Prime.

A man charged backstage during the show and began beating the designer while yelling homophobic slurs, calling him a "fa**ot." During the attack, Atteu says he was unable to defend himself because he was shielding his dog, Snow White.

The victim reportedly suffered a concussion, bruises, and the reinjuring of a broken shoulder, requiring two days of hospitalization. In an interview with KCBS, a local news affiliate, the designer asked, "How do you hate somebody you don't even know this much?"

"His child didn't get picked for the fashion show, I understand that," he added. "But then, when you're yelling slurs about someone's sexuality, that takes it a step further."

While surveillance footage shows the attacker fleeing the scene, Atteu says he knows him because they've met. On Facebook, a friend of the couple wrote in a message that they had met the assailant two weeks "before at [a] 'model call'" and "something about him even then made [people] uncomfortable."

According to Atteu, the man -- who was later identified as Jesus Zepeda -- was upset that his daughter wasn't cast in the show.

Simpson says he attempted to intervene. "I tried to help him, but a giant church pew was blocking my pathway," he is credited as saying in a statement shared with The Advocate. "As I ran to his rescue, I watched in horror as he was [punched] in the face and head over and over again."

"This man needs to be arrested and justice needs to be served!" Simpson adds.

Atteu, a fashion designer who has worked for Bella Thorne and Ariel Winter, is also tangentially connected to the ongoingReal Housewives franchise. His sister, Peggy Sulahian, left the show following reports that she banned Atteu from their father's funeral over his sexual orientation.

Cameras for Atteu's reality show were present and rolling during the fashion show. In video filmed by one attendee, Simpson is dancing down the runway at the conclusion of the show as Atteu walked alongside him.

NOTE: This story has been updated from a previous version.

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