Two Men Charged with Hate Crimes for Anti-gay Slur-filled Attack on San Jose State Campus

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has charged two men with hate crimes for attacking a San Jose State University student, while yelling anti-gay slurs.

The unprovoked attack, in which they allegedly punched and kicked the student and a female friend who tried to help him, happened late at night on the downtown campus.

Josue Medina Flores, 19, of Sunnyvale, and Christian Gabriel Nunez Petty, 20, of Fremont, are charged with felony assault with hate crime allegations. They were arraigned on the charges on Sept. 23.

“If you hurt someone because of their race, religion, gender, or sexuality, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Tolerance and diversity are cherished values in this community. We back up them with one voice – and the full might of the law.”

The District Attorney’s Office has filed 14 hate crimes so far this year.

At 3:44am on Sept.19,  the victim and two female friends were on campus when they walked past the two defendants. The two men asked the student if he was gay and yelled anti-gay slurs. The victim and his friends ignored them and continued walking. 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.

When one of the student’s friends jumped on top of the victim to shield him from the blows, the defendants struck her, too.

San Jose State University police officers responded during the attack and arrested the fleeing suspects before they could get off campus, prosecutors said. The victim was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and released.

The attack was captured on university security video footage.

 

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