SJSU student beaten on campus, alleged attackers charged with hate crimes
Hate crime suspects appear in San Jose courtroom
Two men are being held without bail after making their first court appearance on Wednesday on hate crime charges for allegedly attacking a San Jose State University student while shouting "anti-gay" slurs.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Two men are being held without bail after making their first court appearance on Wednesday on hate crime charges for allegedly attacking a San Jose State University student while shouting "anti-gay" slurs.
FILE ART - San Jose State University.
Attack on campus
The backstory:
Josue Medina Flores, 19, of Sunnyvale, and Christian Gabriel Nunez Petty, 20, of Fremont were both charged with felony assault with hate crime allegations in connection with the Saturday attack.
Just before 3:45 a.m. that day, the victim and two friends were on campus when they walked past Flores and Petty, who allegedly asked the victim if he was gay and then yelled slurs, according to the district attorney’s office.
Court documents show the attack happened near the Spartan Aquatic and Recreation Center.
"The victim and his friends ignored them and continued walking," the district attorney’s office said in a statement. "The two men then ran up to the victim and attacked him, punching him in the head more than two dozen times and kicking him. All the while, they used homophobic slurs."
The DA added that Flores and Petty allegedly struck one of the victim’s friends after she had jumped on top of the victim to shield him from the attack.
Suspects arrested immediately:
SJSU police were called to the scene and quickly arrested the two alleged attackers before they could leave the campus.
The DA’s office said the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries to his head, side and arm and was released, though the extent of his injuries was not known. The victim's female friend was treated for injuries at the scene.
SJSU police released a statement, which read in part, "While assaults are rare at SJSU, even one act of hate and violence is too many."
Suspects appear in court
Flores and Petty showed up for their 1:30 p.m. arraignment on Wednesday in the Hall of Justice in San Jose. If convicted, they face prison time.
The victim's mother, who was present, voiced her concerns about the suspects' potential release. Neither of the defendants are students at the university.
The entire attack was captured on surveillance cameras.
What's next:
The defendants will make their next court appearance on October 7 and 8.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the court arraignment.