students: Last News

Seven students at Salisbury University in Maryland lured a person they targeted because of his sexual orientation to an off-campus apartment, where they spat on, held and beat him for several minutes, breaking a rib and causing bruises, according to the police. The students, all men ranging in age from 18 to 20, face assault and hate crime charges in the attack, the Salisbury Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday. The person attacked was not identified to protect their safety, though police said the individual is not a student at Salisbury University.

The students used a social media account to invite the person to the apartment under false pretenses on Oct. 15, the police said. Once in the apartment, the students swarmed and forcefully sat that person in a chair in the living room, where they “kicked, punched and spit on” their target “while the men called the victim derogatory names,” the release said.

The person who was attacked tried to flee, and the men threw him to the floor, according to the police. After several minutes of being assaulted, the person was allowed to leave the apartment and sought medical assistance. The students arrested in the case are Riley Brister, 20, of Davidsonville, Md., Ryder Baker, 20, of Olney, Md.; Bennan Aird, 18, of Milton, Del.; Cruz Cespedes, 19, of Jarrettsville, Md.; Dylan Earp, 20, of Gambrills, Md.; Elijah Johnson, 19, of Crofton, Md.; and Zachary Leinemann, 18, of Crofton, Md.

Lawyers for two of the men, Mr. Brister and Mr. Leinemann, said on Wednesday that the alleged victim is an adult man who went to the apartment with the intention of having sex with a 16-year-old.

None of the students charged in the case are minors. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while