A Florida judge has rejected the “Stand Your Ground” defense for a group of suspects who were caught on camera attacking a couple in a brutal anti-gay attack.
RELATED STORIES: Sexual Assault Charges Dropped Against Teacher After She Marries Her Former Student
In 2018, Rene Charlarca and Dmitry Logunov were assaulted outside of a public bathroom during a pride celebration in South Beach. The four men-Juan Carlos Lopez, Luis M. Alonso Piovet, Adonis Diaz, and Pablo Reinaldo Romo-Figueroa- were caught on camera attacking the victims and later charged with battery. The attack occurred after Charlarca accidentally brushed Lopez while coming out of the bathroom and the group started calling the victims anti-gay slurs.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ariana Fajardo rejected the group’s “Stand Your Ground” defense based on the evidence presented on Friday. “There’s nothing in that video — and I watched it over and over again — that showed me that any of these defendants were in fear for their safety or their lives,” she said in a statement.
RELATED STORIES: Four Men Charged In Overdose Death Of Actor Michael K. Williams, New Video Shows Alleged Drug Deal
Piovet’s lawyer claims his client was involved in the altercation after seeing his friend being allegedly attacked by the couple. Lopez’s attorney added that the victim, Charlarca, called him a “balsero” in Spanish and the couple were the aggressors in the situation. He stated that the slur was meant to demean Cuban Americans. They can still claim self-defense at a later jury-trial date.
SOURCE: RAW STORY