Three more Maryland students charged with hate crimes in an attack on a gay man

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) – Police in Maryland have arrested three more Salisbury University students on hate crime charges following an attack in which investigators say a man was lured to an off-campus apartment, beaten and subjected to homophobic slurs.

The latest arrests brought the number of suspects in the subsequent October 15 attack to 15 a dozen others were arrested earlier this month. Police in Salisbury, a city of about 35,000 in the state’s Eastern Shore region, said in a statement Thursday that they do not expect to make any more arrests.

In addition to assault and false imprisonment, the defendants are also charged with hate crimes for allegedly attacking the victim because he is gay, police said. According to charging documents, one of the defendants created a fake account on a dating app and promised the victim sex with a 16-year-old.

The man’s age was not included in the court documents. Under Maryland law, the legal age of majority is 16 in most cases.

Court records do not list attorneys for two of the three newest defendants. The other’s attorney declined to comment on the case.

Salisbury police began investigating after two witnesses told campus police they saw video of the attack, according to charging documents. According to police, the victim suffered a broken rib and extensive bruising.

Steve Rakow, an attorney for one of the students arrested earlier, vehemently rejected the hate crime designation. He said the man never reported what happened because he was trying to have sex with a teenage boy.

Leaders at Salisbury University have condemned the attack and pledged to ensure members of the LGBTQ+ community feel safe on campus. On Monday they held a unity walk to show their support.