12 Salisbury University frat members charged in brutal hate crime assault

A dozen Salisbury University fraternity members have been arrested on hate crime charges in the brutal assault of a gay man because of his sexual orientation, authorities in Maryland said Thursday.

The victim, who has not been named, was allegedly lured to an off-campus apartment on Oct. 15 by “a group of men” using a social media account “under false pretenses,” the Salisbury Police Department said in a news release.

One of the suspects used the popular gay dating app Grindr to lure the victim to the scene, local TV station WJZ reported, citing charging documents.

When the victim arrived at the residence, he was surrounded by “numerous college-aged men” who forced him to sit in a chair in the middle of the living room. The group then “kicked, punched and (spat)” on the victim, while calling him anti-gay slurs, authorities said.

The victim told police he attempted to leave the apartment “multiple times” but was always stopped by the men, who would throw him on the floor “during every initial attempt to flee.”

The assault lasted for several minutes before the victim was allowed to leave, leading to a broken rib and bruises across his body, investigators said.

Seven suspects were initially arrested for their alleged involvement in the assault: Bennan Aird, 18; Ryder Baker, 20; Riley Brister, 20; Cruz Cespedes, 19; Dylan Earp, 20; Elijah Johnson, 19; and Zachary Leinemann, 18.

On Thursday, police announced the arrest of five additional suspects: Patrick Gutierrez, 19; Cameron Guy, 18; Jacob Howard, 19; Dylan Pietuszka, 20; and Eric Sinclair, 21.

All 12 individuals, who are members of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, are charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and the associated hate crime charges, police said.

The students and the fraternity have been placed on suspension, Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre said in a statement, calling the incident an “act of visceral hate.”

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