Hate crime charges dropped for most of the Salisbury University students who allegedly beat a man they lured to an apartment

Hate crime charges have been dropped for all but three of the 15 students at Salisbury University in Maryland who police said targeted a man and lured him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him, court records show.

Hate crime charges have been dropped for all but three of the 15 students at Salisbury University in Maryland who police said targeted a man and lured him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him, court records show. All of the students were initially charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and associated hate crimes in connection with the October 15 incident, which the Salisbury Police Department said in November was due to the victim’s sexual preferences. Following their preliminary hearings on Thursday and Friday, 12 of the students now face reduced charges including second-degree assault and false imprisonment, both of which are misdemeanors, according to court records. “The State’s Attorney’s Office has reviewed the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation and we have charged as appropriate in light of that evidence,” the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office in Maryland said in a statement to CNN. “As this is a pending criminal prosecution, we are unable to comment further at this time.” Three of the 15 students, all men ranging in age from 18 to 21, are still facing hate crime charges, according to court records, though the reason for this remains unclear. Police said a man was invited “under false pretenses” to an apartment in Salisbury, where a group of men immediately surrounded him upon entry, forced him into a chair in the living room and then proceeded to kick, punch and spit on him while calling him derogatory names.