Twelve students at Salisbury University in Maryland have been charged with hate crimes after they allegedly targeted a man over his sexual preferences by inviting him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him and used derogatory names, police said.
The students, aged 18 to 21, have been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and associated hate crime charges, the Salisbury Police Department said in a news release Thursday.
Police said they were contacted by the Salisbury University police department on Oct. 31 about an assault that allegedly occurred in an off-campus apartment complex for college-aged students.
Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre wrote on X that the students arrested have been placed on suspension, which includes being restricted from campus and barred from academic coursework.
“It’s very unfortunate that Salisbury University has jumped to conclusions by suspending these young men before there has been any findings related to this incident,” he said.
Persons:
Ryder Baker, Bennan Aird, Riley Brister, Cruz Cespedes, Dylan Earp, Elijah Johnson, Zachary Leinemann, Cameron Guy, Jacob Howard, Eric Sinclair, Patrick Gutierrez, Dylan Pietuszka, Aird, “, Carolyn Ringer Lepre, Lepre, Steve Rakow, ”, Leinemann
Organizations:
Salisbury University, Salisbury Police, Delaware . Police, Terrace, Police, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, NBC, NBC News, SU, ” Salisbury University
Locations:
Maryland, Salisbury, Delaware