MASSACHUSETTS: Nine Charged With Hate Crimes In Bashing Of Gay Man

Nine Springfield, Massachusetts youths have been charged with hate crimes in the beating of an openly gay man.

Sgt. John Delaney said the beating occurred shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday as the 30-year-old victim walked down a Springfield street. Delaney said the victim told police he was then attacked by the suspects who knocked him to the ground, kicked him in the head and abdomen and punched him in the face with closed fists. He said the females in the group encouraged the males to beat up the victim and others yelled disparaging remarks about the victim's sexual orientation during the attack.

MassLive.com has more.

The victim and the people accused of attacking him all live in the same neighborhood. While none of the suspects knew the victim by name, they were familiar with him from the neighborhood, police said. The victim told police that a group of youths inside Barrows Park yelled and asked him to come inside the park, said Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet. The victim kept walking and told police he was then attacked, knocked him to the ground, kicked him in the head and abdomen and punched him in the face with closed fists, Delaney said. “During the beating, the females encouraged the males to beat up the victim,” Delaney said. He said all yelled remarks disparaging about what they believed to be the victim’s sexual orientation.

The victim was released from the hospital after being treated for head trauma and facial lacerations.