Fifteen college students at Salisbury College in Maryland are going through assault and hate crime fees after they allegedly focused a person “as a consequence of his sexual preferences” and lured him to an off-campus house the place they beat him, police mentioned.
Police say a person was invited “underneath false pretenses” to an house in Salisbury, the place a bunch of males instantly surrounded him upon entry, pressured him right into a chair in the lounge after which proceeded to kick, punch and spit on him whereas calling him derogatory names, police mentioned.
The scholars, all males ranging in age from 18 to 21, had been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes in reference to the October 15 incident, the Salisbury Police Division mentioned this month in information releases.
“An investigation revealed that the sufferer was focused as a consequence of his sexual preferences,” Salisbury Police mentioned. Police reviewed movies of the incident – recorded with out the sufferer’s consent – from one of many defendants’ telephones, charging paperwork obtained by CNN affiliate WJZ present.
At the very least 12 suspects have been suspended from Salisbury College, with a few of these additionally expelled from their fraternity, the establishments mentioned.
Attorneys for 2 of the suspects, nonetheless, have mentioned additional particulars will clarify the incident will not be associated to the sufferer’s sexual orientation.
“Let me simply set the document straight – this isn’t a hate crime,” lawyer Steve Rakow mentioned final week in an announcement, including his consumer intends to plead not responsible.
Hate crimes towards the LGBTQ2S+ group have been on the rise, with 2,402 recorded incidents in 2023 regarding a sufferer’s sexual orientation, up from 1,947 from the yr prior, an FBI annual report launched in September exhibits.
Within the Maryland incident, one of many accused males met the sufferer on the LGBTQ2S+ relationship app Grindr, pretended to be 16 years previous and set a date to fulfill up “for the needs of getting sexual activity,” in line with the charging paperwork. The authorized age of consent in Maryland is 16 years previous.
When the sufferer entered the house and shut the door, one of many college students yelled “YEE YEE,” and about 15 college-aged males appeared from the bedrooms and assaulted him whereas utilizing a homophobic slur, amongst different derogatory phrases, to check with him, police allege.
The sufferer informed police he tried to depart the house a number of occasions however was “grabbed by a number of folks and thrown to the bottom,” in line with the charging doc. The sufferer was finally allowed to depart and found he had suffered a damaged rib and a number of bruises throughout his physique because of the assault, police mentioned.
The alleged beating, which lasted about 5 to 6 minutes, got here to mild after two witnesses reported to school police on October 29 that one of many defendants confirmed them a video of the assault, in line with the doc. College police then contacted the Salisbury Police Division.
Cellphone movies retrieved from a defendant’s cellphone led police to the sufferer and finally to further suspects, in line with the doc.
Nonetheless, there are details and particulars in regards to the incident the general public has but to see, mentioned Rakow, the protection lawyer.
“As soon as the entire details see the sunshine of day, this case might be proven to be an ill-advised try to show somebody prepared to journey to have sexual relations with a 16-year-old little one,” one other suspect’s lawyer, James L. Britt, informed the Baltimore Banner.
John Ok. Phoebus, an lawyer representing one other suspect, declined to remark.
A pupil arrested November 7 by Howard County Police has a preliminary listening to scheduled for December 5 within the case, in line with courtroom information. A preliminary listening to for at the very least one different defendant is ready for December 6, Rakow mentioned.
CNN has reached out to Salisbury police for additional remark in addition to attorneys for a number of the defendants.
College students positioned on suspension
The alleged assault is “actually horrifying,” Salisbury College President Carolyn Ringer Lepre mentioned in an announcement to the coed physique.
“Acts of violence towards LGBTQ+ and Ally communities are usually not solely harmful however at odds with the ideas of group, respect, and belonging that bind us collectively as a college,” Lepre mentioned. “These actions don’t mirror the SU that I do know and love. A spot the place everybody ought to really feel secure and free from hurt. A spot the place violence is unacceptable.”
At the very least the primary 12 college students arrested have been positioned on suspension, the college mentioned in an announcement. “This consists of being restricted from campus and being unable to take part in tutorial coursework both in individual or just about.”
A few of these college students had been members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, which has been positioned on suspension, the college mentioned.
The fraternity expelled the members concerned after studying of the allegations and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident, it mentioned.
“These people’ actions don’t align with the values of our group,” an announcement from the fraternity reads. “Sigma Alpha Epsilon condemns hate and violence in any kind, and we’re disenchanted that members of our chapter had been concerned in such an act.”
Sigma Alpha Epsilon didn’t determine those that had been expelled from the fraternity.
Grindr is “able to cooperate with legislation enforcement requests to help their investigation,” the relationship app informed CNN in an announcement.
“Grindr has at all times taken its function as a connector for the LGBTQ+ group very critically. We’re conscious that in sure cases, digital platforms resembling ours are used to focus on LGBTQ+ folks,” a Grindr spokesperson mentioned in an electronic mail. “We now have a zero-tolerance coverage for discrimination, harassment, and abusive conduct and work arduous to make sure a secure and genuine setting freed from dangerous and faux accounts, scammers, and unhealthy actors.”
LGBTQ2S+ advocacy group PFLAG Salisbury was “horrified and disheartened” after studying in regards to the “bias-motivated assault” towards a member of the LGBTQIA+ group, it mentioned.
“PFLAG acknowledges that the results of this deliberate, premeditated act that focused an individual based mostly on their sexual orientation will ripple throughout the Salisbury College campus, the Decrease Shore, and the State of Maryland, reviving and rising anxiousness and collective misery,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
CNN’s Nic F. Anderson, Maria Aguilar Prieto and Dalia Faheid contributed to this report.
