Hate crime charges dropped against 12 college students arrested in Maryland assault

SALISBURY, Md. -- Prosecutors have dropped hate crime charges against 12 of the 15 Salisbury University students arrested following an October attack in which investigators say a man was lured to an off-campus apartment, beaten and called a homophobic slur.

The Wicomico County Office of the State’s Attorney said in a statement to the Washington Post that it “has reviewed the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation and we have charged as appropriate in light of that evidence.” The newspaper reported last week that the charges had been dropped.

Police initially said the defendants were facing hate crime charges for allegedly targeting the victim because he’s gay. According to charging documents, one of the defendants made a fake account on a dating app and promised the victim sex with a 16-year-old.

The man’s age is not included in court documents. The legal age of consent in Maryland is 16 in most cases.

The Salisbury Police Department started investigating after two witnesses told campus police that they had seen a video of the assault, according to charging documents. Police said the victim received a broken rib and extensive bruising.