Seven Salisbury University students have been arrested and charged in an alleged attack on a gay man who is police investigation as a hate crime.

Salisbury police said the seven men, aged between 18 and 20, used a social media account to invite a man to an apartment complex near the university on October 15 “under false pretenses” and they then attacked the man, who they said was targeted for him. sexual preferences.

The suspects were each charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes, police said in a Facebook post.

However, the lawyer for one of the defendants, 18-year-old Zachary Leinemann, said the situation had nothing to do with the victim’s sexual orientation.

Attorney James L. Britt said the alleged victim is a 40-year-old man who propositioned what he believed to be a 16-year-old boy. “Once all the facts come to light, this case will prove to be a baseless attempt to expose someone willing to travel to have sex with a 16-year-old,” he wrote in an email .

The Salisbury Police Department’s statement on the investigation and assault charges said the victim was called “derogatory” names, spat on, kicked and punched for several minutes before being let go .

The victim, who is identified by name but no age in charging documents, told police he did not tell them about the attack because he was threatened and feared for his safety.

Police obtained cellphone video of the incident that showed the victim’s license plate, which authorities used to locate the victim, police said in charging documents.

The victim told police he was “lured” to an apartment in the 1400 block of University Terrace in Salisbury on Oct. 15 by Leinemann. The victim said she met Leinemann on the dating app Grindr, then talked via text and Snapchat.

The victim said she went to the apartment to have sex, police said in charging documents.

“It should be noted that Leinemann represented himself as a 16-year-old, which was confirmed by (the victim) through text messages,” an officer identified only as Cpl. Foy wrote in charging documents. Police reviewed video of the incident, Foy wrote.

Leinemann let the victim into the apartment and, after the victim closed the door, motioned for about 15 other men to come out of the apartment’s bedrooms, according to charging documents. The victim was then recorded being “attacked and humiliated,” Foy wrote.

The victim was slapped, punched, kicked, spit on, hit in the head multiple times with a baking sheet, shot with a salt gun, doused with water and called insults and other derogatory names, according to the documents of accusation.

Police said the victim repeatedly tried to run from the apartment but was thrown to the floor.

The victim told police he suffered a broken rib and believed he was targeted because he was gay.

The seven suspects are all students at Salisbury University, and some are fraternity members, the school’s president said in a statement. In addition to Leinemann, of Crofton, are: Ryder Baker, 20, of Olney; Bennan Aird, 18, of Milton, Delaware; Riley Brister, 20, of Davidsonville; Cruz Cespedes, 19, of Jarrettsville; Dylan Earp, 20, of Gambrills; and Elijah Johnson, 19, of Crofton.

Steven Rakow, an attorney representing Brister, told WJZ his client plans to plead not guilty. “There’s more to the story than what’s being reported in the media,” Rakow said.

All seven were released on their own recognizance with electronic monitoring, court records show.

All but Leinemann have no attorneys listed, with hearings scheduled for early December. Leinemann has a trial scheduled for December 20.

In a letter to the Salisbury University community, President Carolyn Ringer Lepre said the right words elude her and that words “feel inadequate to fully convey the weight of shock and disbelief we all share.”

She wrote that the university would not be able to share many details, citing an ongoing investigation, but said the school’s Office of Student Affairs would take “appropriate interim suspension action.”

“The thought of SU students perpetuating any crime is upsetting, but the thought of SU students committing crimes of such a disturbing nature is truly horrifying,” she wrote. “So let me be clear. We are outraged by these allegations. I am outraged by these allegations.”

Salisbury University, located on the east bank, issued a statement condemning the attack. “Any student who commits an act of violence can expect to face criminal charges as well as disciplinary action under the SU Community Standards Student Code,” the university wrote. “The offenses described are in direct conflict with the values ​​of Salisbury University and what we stand for. Hate has no place at SU.”

Police asked anyone with information to contact the department at 410-548-3165.

WJZ, a media partner of The Baltimore Banner, contributed to this report.