Three more students were arrested in connection to an assault in October, bringing the total number of arrests for the assault up to 15. The victim, whose name has yet to be released, was assaulted because of his sexual orientation. The recent arrests left many wondering how many more people were involved in the crime.
CBS News states that on Oct. 15, male students who attended Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, used a Grindr account of a 16-year-old boy to lure a member of the LGBTQ+ community into an off-campus apartment. When the man arrived, he was forced to sit in a chair in the center of the living room while the students kicked, hit, and spit on him while shouting homophobic slurs. He tried to leave multiple times, but each time, he was forced to sit down again. Eventually, he escaped. He went to a nearby hospital where he was treated for many bruises and a broken rib.
On Friday, Nov. 12, Salisbury Police Department announced that they had arrested 12 men who were involved. According to NBC News, those men were: Bennan Aird, 18, Ryder Baker, 20, Riley Brister, 20, Cruz Cespedes, 19, Dylan Earp, 20, Patrick Gutierrez, 19, Cameron Guy, 18, Jacob Howard, 19, Elijah Johnson, 19, Zachary Leinemann, 18, Dylan Pietuszka, 20, and Eric Sinclair, 21.
On Saturday Nov. 16, Salisbury Police Department announced that three more men were taken into custody, NBC News stated. Sean Antone, 19, was arrested on Nov. 7 but wasn’t counted with the original 12. Benjamin Brandenburg, 18, was arrested on Nov. 13 and Logan Clark, 19, turned himself in on Nov. 14.
Salisbury University has spoken out condemning the actions of these men. The students are suspended and barred from taking classes both online and in person. CBS News informed that the students were part of the same fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, who have condemned their actions as well. However, the fraternity has also been suspended.
Currently, only 15 students have been identified, though authorities think everyone has been caught. Though the victim is also under backlash due to the age of the fake Grindr account, the situation does not give a lot of hope to those in the LGBTQ+ community as it is a blatant attack on the community and a possible crime within the community. Salisbury University is hopeful that by suspending the students, the message conveyed is strict that there will be no homophobic actions taken by students.
