Three additional individuals have been arrested and charged with hate crimes for their involvement in an assault on a man based on his sexual orientation in Maryland. Sean Antone, Benjamin Brandenburg, and Logan Clark were taken into custody in connection to the incident, which occurred on October 15. These arrests come after 12 Salisbury University students were previously arrested for their roles in the assault. Antone was apprehended by the Howard County Police Department, while Brandenburg was arrested by Salisbury police and Clark turned himself in.
The charges against Antone, Brandenburg, and Clark include first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment, and hate crime offenses. All three individuals are Salisbury students and have been placed on interim suspension by the university. The assault took place at an off-campus apartment complex, where the victim was forced to sit in a chair and repeatedly assaulted by a group of college-aged men who used derogatory language.
The victim sustained injuries, including bruises and a broken rib, and sought medical attention following the attack. Investigators determined that the assault was targeted due to the victim’s sexual orientation. Members or associates of the school’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were involved in the incident, prompting the fraternity to be placed on suspension.
Several of the initial 12 students arrested have been suspended by the university, and their attorney has indicated they will plead not guilty to the charges. A community vigil and unity walk was held on campus in response to the incident. The university president condemned the assault as an “act of visceral hate,” and critics have accused the school of prematurely suspending the students involved.
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