Rene Chalarka, 32, and Dimitry Lugunov, 31, were holding hands as they left a public restroom in Lummus Park on Sunday evening following Miami Beach’s Gay Pride.
GAY PRIDE MIAMI AND POLICE DRIVER
Nikki Fried, Florida’s commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, who was at the parade, said she had heard from other people that the driver had sped out of a parking lot where participants in the parade had gathered. (Screenshot via Twitter) Four men could be facing hate crime charges after brutally attacking a gay couple after Miami Beach’s Gay Pride parade. A brutal attack on a same-sex couple recorded on camera. They have reportedly been charged with aggravated battery.
Lopez, Adonis Diaz and Pablo Reinaldo Romo.
GAY PRIDE MIAMI AND POLICE UPDATE
“What started as a celebration quickly turned to tragedy at today’s Stonewall Pride Parade,” Sheriff Tony said in a statement. UPDATE April 11: All four suspects turned themselves into Miami Beach police late Tuesday, according to NBC. Sheriff Gregory Tony of Broward County, Fla., said the driver had struck the two men within feet of him and others from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and that they were “devastated having witnessed this horrific incident.” He said emergency workers had “instantly provided care for the victims.” “We’re speaking with all involved parties - to include witnesses, the driver - we’re doing all that we can to make sure that we do the most complete and accurate investigation and don’t rule out anything prematurely,” Detective Ali Adamson, a spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale police said at a news conference on Saturday night. The driver has been cooperative with investigators, the police said, adding that there have been no arrests made. The other man who was struck was expected to survive, but he remained hospitalized on Sunday afternoon, the police said. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the attack “was despicable to see and hear about, especially during a week when we celebrate our diversity.The authorities have not released the name of the man who died. On Tuesday evening, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle tweeted that the agency’s “Hate Crimes Unit will evaluate this incident thoroughly.” She said investigators are working with Miami Beach police. They are charged with aggravated battery, but the charges could be enhanced under state law if they are classified as hate crimes. Alonso Piovet, 20, Adonis Diaz, 21, and Pablo Reinaldo Romo-Figueroa. He told police he chased after the attackers and told them to wait for police to arrive, but they surrounded him and knocked him down.Ĭharged in the attack are Juan Carlos Lopez, 21, Luis M. The Miami Herald reports Helmut Muller tried to help the victims. The victims told investigators they were holding hands after leaving a bathroom area along the city’s busy Ocean Avenue on Sunday when the men approached, calling them an anti-gay slur in Spanish and attacking them physically.Ī good Samaritan who tried to intervene also was attacked, Miami Beach police said. One of the men was briefly knocked out, an arrest report said. The beating left the victims with multiple cuts and bruises. The suspects surrendered to police Tuesday afternoon, after surveillance video captured them punching two men in the face and knocking them to the ground. Four men could be charged with a hate crime after being accused of shouting anti-gay slurs while attacking two men following Miami Beach’s gay pride parade.