Seven Salisbury University students were arrested on October 15 and charged with assault and related hate crimes over an alleged attack on a man.
Salisbury police said in a news release Tuesday that the alleged crimes occurred at an off-campus apartment complex in the 1400 block of University Terrace, where the victim was invited by the suspects, ages 18 to 20, under “false pretenses.” When the victim entered the home, he was allegedly surrounded, forced into a chair and assaulted for “several minutes,” resulting in a broken rib, police said.
“The investigation revealed that the victim was targeted because of his sexual preferences,” police said.
The students allegedly kicked, punched and spit on the victim while calling him “derogatory names” and throwing him to the ground as he tried to get away, police said. The victim sought medical attention after the incident, police said.
The seven students have been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crime charges, police said. They were processed and sent to the Wicomico County Detention Center for investigation by a district court committee, police said.
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