Four Pennsylvania men are facing charges after police said they shouted racial slurs at a Black Lehigh University student, chased him to his dorm, and attacked him, ABC News reports.
Brandon John, 22, and Cameron Graf, 22, are facing charges of simple assault and harassment. Michael Rosta, 21, was charged with burglary and simple assault, and 22-year-old Nabil Jameel is facing one charge of simple assault, according to Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck in a Tuesday (April 25) press release.
Houck said the incident happened early Saturday morning (April 22) while the victim, who was not identified to protect his privacy, was walking home with two friends. The suspects allegedly drove past the victim while yelling racial slurs at him, prompting the Black student to run after them and bang on the trunk of the vehicle. The victim told authorities he reached into one of the car windows and touched one of the occupants before backing off.
As the victim started heading back home with his friends, that's when the vehicle turned around and stopped. Houck said four men exited the vehicle and started chasing the Black student and his friends, surrounding them just south of Packer Avenue. One of the suspects reportedly struck the victim before he was able to escape to his residence hall on campus.
After the victim visited a friend and dropped by one of the bathrooms, he walked out to encounter the four men waiting for him inside the dorm, according to police. The suspects started beating up the Black student, who managed to retreat to his friend's room, the district attorney's office said. Prosecutors allege one of the men pulled out a handgun and demanded the victim open the door.
A witness told cops they let the men into the dorm and noticed one of the suspects was armed, as well, reporters learned.
Police reviewed security camera footage and identified John as the driver. He admitted to investigators that he was involved in an altercation with the victim and named the other suspects, officials said. The other three men also confessed to their involvement in the crime, per the district attorney's office.
"Northampton County has zero tolerance for this type of lawless behavior, and the defendants will absolutely face the consequences for their senseless actions," Houck said. "Students have a right to feel safe when they are on or around campus. I want to thank the Lehigh University Police for acting swiftly in their investigation to remove these individuals from our community."
Leigh University condemned the actions by the four suspects as a "deplorable hate crime" and thanked both police and the district's attorney's office for handling the case.
"We support prosecution of this threat of violence and act of hate to the fullest extent of the law. We stand united in working together as a campus to eradicate hate and violence," university spokeswoman Amy White said in a statement.
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