SEASIDE, Ore. -- Police said two men were beaten unconscious Sunday morning because they are gay, and the people who assaulted them haven't been found yet.

Investigators said the victims, who are from Washington state, were on the beach near downtown Seaside at about 3 a.m. when three or four men attacked them. Investigators said the beatings are hate crimes.

The Seaside police chief said he has put two full-time detectives on the case and they are trying to find any witnesses who were on the beach Sunday morning and may have seen who was responsible for severely beating the two men.

"It's a small town. Only time it gets crazy is when there's a lot of tourists and people in town," said Evan White, who works in Seaside.

Investigators said around 3 a.m. the victims were sitting next to a beach fire with three or four other people, and when the two men got up to walk to the ocean, they were attacked and beaten unconscious because they are gay. Investigators said when the victims woke up they helped each other to a nearby hotel where they called for help and were taken to a local hospital.

Mica Macdonald works at a Seaside hotel and said Seaside is not a dangerous place, but he said it's a bad idea to stay on beach after dark unless you're in a big group.

"It's a great place to hang out, but not a great place to hang out at night I don't think," Macdonald said.

There were several people who were sitting next to the fire in front of the Best Western Hotel at the time of the attack and police would like to talk to them.

Anyone with information in the case should contact Seaside police.

Gay Men Attacked On Beach In Hate Crime