Salisbury University students and fraternity suspended for involvement in alleged hate crime attack

BALTIMORE – Salisbury University students and a fraternity have been suspended following an attack alleged hate crime Attack, announced the school's president.

According to police, 12 students are accused hate crimee over an alleged brutal attack on a man because of his sexual orientation. Seven of them were members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, which was suspended under the university's student organization standards.

“Our community is suffering from an act of deep-seated hatred,” said Salisbury President Carolyn Lepre. “Acts of violence against LGBTQ+ and allied communities are not only destructive, but also contradict the principles of community, respect and belonging that hold us together as a university.”

A suspect allegedly created an account on Grindr, a dating app, and posed as a 16-year-old to lure the victim to an apartment right next to the Salisbury University campus for sex, according to charging documents obtained by WJZ .

“Approximately 15 college-aged men emerged from the back bedrooms,” the documents say, and within moments they were “slapping, punching, kicking and spitting” on the victim while shouting an anti-gay slur.

A suspect in a Salisbury University hoodie.[struck the victim] sprayed several times in the head with a cooking tray and also spat on [the victim] and call him [a slur] during the incident,” charging documents state.

“The initial reaction was heartbreaking and outraged. There is no reason why something like this should happen just because someone is who they are,” said Mark DeLancey, executive director of Salisbury PFLAG, an organization that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.

Police said the victim repeatedly tried to escape the apartment but was thrown to the ground. He was finally able to escape.

Police identified the seven people associated with the Brotherhood as follows:

• 20-year-old Ryder Baker of Olney
• 18-year-old Bennan Aird of Milton, Delaware
• 20-year-old Riley Brister of Davidsonville
• 19-year-old Cruz Cespedes of Jarrettsville
• 20 year old Dylan Earp from Gambrills
• 19-year-old Elijah Johnson of Crofton
• 18-year-old Zachary Leinemann of Crofton

Police identified the five other people involved as:

• 18-year-old Cameron Guy of Baltimore
• 19-year-old Jacob Howard of Elkridge
• 21-year-old Eric Sinclair of Mount Airy
• 19-year-old Patrick Gutierrez of Salisbury
• 20-year-old Dylan Pietuszka from Friendship

was also suspended.