12 Salisbury Univ. Police say students are facing hate crime charges for allegedly hitting a man because of his sexual orientation

Twelve students at Salisbury University in Maryland have been charged with hate crimes after they allegedly targeted a man because of his sexual orientation by inviting him to an off-campus apartment, where they beat him and used derogatory names, police said .

The students, ages 18 to 21, are charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes, Salisbury police said in a news release Thursday.

They are: Ryder Baker, 20; Bennan Aird, 18; Riley Brister, 20; Cruz Cespedes, 19; Dylan Earp, 20; Elijah Johnson, 19; Zachary Leineman, 18; Cameron Guy, 18; Jacob Howard, 19; Eric Sinclair, 21; Patrick Gutierrez, 19; and Dylan Pietuszka, 20. All are from Maryland except Aird, who is from Delaware.

Police said they were contacted by Salisbury University police on Oct. 31 about an attack that allegedly occurred at an off-campus apartment complex for college-age students. As part of the investigation, detectives met with witnesses and said they saw cell phone video that showed “an adult male victim being assaulted by multiple college-aged males.”

The investigation revealed that on Oct. 15, a group of men used a social media account to invite an adult male to an apartment in the 1400 block of University Terrace “under false pretenses,” police said.

When the victim entered the home, “numerous college-aged males surrounded the victim and forced him to sit isolated on a chair in the middle of the living room,” police said.

After he was “forcibly sat down,” the victim was “kicked, punched and spit on while the men called the victim derogatory names,” police said.

The victim tried to escape several times but was thrown to the ground each time, police said.

The attack lasted several minutes before he was finally allowed to leave, police said.

The victim sought medical attention for “persistent bruising throughout his body as well as a broken rib,” police said.

Police said the investigation “revealed that the victim was targeted based on his sexual preferences.”

Several of the defendants were members or employees of a student association at the school, the police said. Carolyn Ringer Lepre, president of Salisbury University, wrote on In addition, the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been suspended, Lepre said.

Steve Rakow, an attorney for Brister, told NBC News on Friday that his client will plead not guilty to the charges.

“It is very regrettable that Salisbury University has jumped to conclusions by suspending these young men before any findings have been made about this incident,” he said.

NBC News has reached out to attorneys for Aird and Leinemann. The others had no attorney information listed. All students were released on recognizance bonds this week, except for Pietuszka, whose hearing is Friday.

Lepre condemned the attack in a message to students, faculty and university staff.

“I'm at a loss for the right words – they don't seem sufficient to fully express the weight of shock and disbelief we all share,” she said. “The thought of SU students committing any crime is disturbing, but the thought of SU students committing crimes of such a disturbing nature is truly frightening.”

She said: “Acts of violence against LGBTQ+ and Ally communities are not only destructive, but also contradict the principles of community, respect and belonging that hold us together as a university.”

Salisbury University is a public university with approximately 6,200 students. There will be a vigil and unity walk on campus on Monday.