Twelve students at Salisbury University in Maryland are facing assault and hate crime charges after allegedly targeting a man due to his sexual preferences. The incident occurred on October 15, with the students, all men aged 18 to 21, charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, and associated hate crimes.
The victim was lured to an off-campus apartment under false pretenses, where he was surrounded, forced into a chair, and physically assaulted by the group of men. The attack, which lasted about five to six minutes, resulted in the victim suffering a broken rib and multiple bruises.
Police discovered videos of the incident recorded without the victim's consent, leading to the arrest of the students. The victim was targeted due to his sexual preferences, according to the Salisbury Police Department.
Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre condemned the assault, emphasizing that violence towards LGBTQ+ and Ally communities goes against the university's principles of community, respect, and belonging. The arrested students have been suspended from the university, including participation in academic coursework.
Some of the students involved are members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, which has also been suspended. Grindr, the LGBTQ+ dating app where the victim was initially contacted, expressed readiness to cooperate with law enforcement in the investigation.
LGBTQ+ advocacy group PFLAG Salisbury expressed dismay over the bias-motivated attack, highlighting the ripple effects it may have on the university campus and the wider community. The incident comes amidst a reported rise in hate crimes against the LGBTQ community, as indicated by the FBI's annual report.
