UPDATE April 11: All four suspects turned themselves into Miami Beach police late Tuesday, according to NBC.
Officers identified the men as Luis M. Alonso, 20, and 21-year-olds Juan C. Lopez, Adonis Diaz and Pablo Reinaldo Romo.
They have reportedly been charged with aggravated battery.
Previously:
A brutal attack on a same-sex couple recorded on camera cut short the celebratory vibe of Miami Beach Gay Pride this weekend.
Surveillance footage shows Rene Chalarca and his boyfriend, Dmitry Logunov, being attacked by four unidentified men outside of a public restroom Sunday evening, The Miami Herald reports. Chalarca and Logunov were on their way home from the city’s pride parade and holding hands at the time of the attack.
A third man, Helmut Muller, was standing near the restrooms and tried to break up the assault. He was hit by one of the attackers and knocked unconscious when he struck his head on the pavement.
One of the suspects, Chalarca told NBC 6, used anti-LGBTQ slurs in Spanish as he attacked the men. He and Lugonov had cuts and bruises on their faces and were treated by paramedics at the scene.
Muller was taken to a local hospital, where he received four stitches for his head injury.
It’s unclear whether the case will be deemed a hate crime. Speaking to CBS Miami, Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police called the attack “completely uncalled for and unnecessary.”
Police are seeking help from the public in identifying the assailants. “We really need to hold those responsible, accountable,” Rodriguez said.
Chalarca and Logunov believe they were targeted by the group because of their sexuality.
“We were together,” Chalarca told WPLG, a local ABC affiliate. “So for me, it’s like, yes, it was a hate crime.”
Added Logunov, “We probably provoked them because we were walking together, holding hands. It was gay pride. South Beach was full of gay people.”