This blog is originally appeared at Them.
Law enforcement reviewed cell phone footage of the assault.
Maryland police have arrested 12 Salisbury University students accused of using Grindr to target and assault a gay man due to his sexuality in October.
According to a press release from the Salisbury Police Department (SPD), the assault took place at an off-campus apartment complex for college students. Local outlet WBOC reports that, based on charging documents, the victim was initially contacted on Grindr by an individual — later identified by police as 18-year-old Zachary Leinemann — who falsely claimed to be 16 years old, the legal age of consent in Maryland.
WBOC says that, per the police, Leinemann then lured the victim to the off-campus apartment complex on October 15 under the pretense of sex. The victim told police that upon arrival, he was ambushed by about 15 men and was forced to sit on a chair in the middle of the room while they kicked, punched, and spit on him for several minutes while calling him derogatory names.
CBS News reports that a video of the assault shows one of the suspects hitting a victim with a cookie sheet.
“Why are you getting up? Make one more move, and I swear I’m going to punch the **** out of you, bro,” one of the suspects yells in the video. “Get back! Lay down. Lay down. Lay down, or I’m going to punch the **** out of you!”
Although the victim allegedly attempted to leave multiple times, he was thrown to the floor and warned by his attackers to tell no one what had happened. After seeking medical attention, the victim discovered that he had a broken rib and sustained bruising all over his body as a result of the assault.
According to the Salisbury Police Department, seven of the 12 individuals are associated with Salisbury University’s chapter of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The students have been identified as 20-year-old Ryder Baker; 18-year-old Bennan Aird; 20-year-old Riley Brister; 19-year-old Cruz Cespedes; 20-year-old Dylan Earp; 19-year-old Elijah Johnson; and 18-year-old Zachary Leinemann.
Police identified the other five individuals involved as 18-year-old Cameron Guy; 19-year-old Jacob Howard; 21-year-old Eric Sinclair; 19-year-old Patrick Gutierrez; and 20-year-old Dylan Pietuszka.
The suspects have been charged with assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, and related hate crime offenses.
In a statement posted to Salisbury University’s X account, the school announced that the 12 students, along with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter, have been placed on suspension. Meanwhile, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has expelled the members allegedly involved in the attack, according to CBS News.
In a separate statement, Salisbury University President Dr. Carolyn R. Lepre condemned the students’ actions, saying, “Acts of violence toward LGBTQ+ and Ally communities are not only destructive but at odds with the principles of community, respect, and belonging that bind us together as a university.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with additional information about the attack or similar incidents is urged to contact the Salisbury Police Department at 410-548-3165. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776.
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