Four men charged with hate crime following homophobic attack at Miami Beach Gay Pride
The four men have all pleaded not guilty
By Steve Brown
Four men have been charged with hate crime following the brutal homophobic attack at Miami Beach Gay Pride.
The men – Juan C. Lopez, Adonis Diaz, Pablo Reinaldo Romo and Luis M. Alonso – were arrested and charged with aggravated battery after attacking gay couple Rene Charlarca and Dmitry Logunov, PinkNews reported.
On Sunday (08.04.18), the couple were walking near a public toilet after celebrating Pride when they were confronted and attacked by group of men.
Logunov was hit and knocked to the ground, before the attackers turned on Charlarca when he confronted them.
Watch: @MiamiBeachPD releases violent video of attack of two gay men and a Good Samaritan after Pride Parade. They are looking for 4 people involved. @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/YN8B7d52SB
— Jamie Guirola (@jamieNBC6) April 10, 2018
The two men managed to get away from their attackers but were pursued and were left with multiple cuts and bruises to their faces and other parts of their bodies.
Police released CCTV footage of the attack in a bid to identify the attackers and following a public appeal, the men turned themselves in.
The charges mean the men could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted rather than only 15 years on previously filed aggravated battery charges, according to the Miami Herald.
The four men have pleaded not guilty.