SJSU student beaten on campus, alleged attackers charged with hate crimes

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday announced two men have been charged with hate crimes for allegedly attacking a San Jose State University student while shouting "anti-gay" slurs.

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.

"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 his injuries and was released, though the extent of his injuries was not known.

What's next:

Flores and Petty are scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in Department 23 of the Hall of Justice in San Jose, and they face prison time if convicted.

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