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<\/p>\nLawyer Argues Miami Beach Pride Gay Bashing Couldn\u2019t Have Been Hate Crime Because Attacker\u2019s Father is Gay: WATCH<\/b>
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An attorney is trying to get hate crime charges thrown out against four men who beat a gay couple following Miami Beach\u2019s Gay Pride festival<\/a> in May. His argument? One of the men<\/a> charged in the beating, which was caught on camera<\/a>, has a gay<\/a> father.<\/p>\n NBC Miami reports<\/a>: \u201cJuan Lopez, the father of Juan Carlos Lopez, said that he raised his son along with his partner of 15 years. Lopez said his son and his three friends have never attacked \u2018any gay<\/a> people.\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m sure 100 percent of that,\u2019 he said, adding that his son respects \u2018everybody in this community\u2019 and that he \u2018loves LGBT.’\u201d<\/p>\n Hate crime charges, which were added to aggravated battery charges, mean the men<\/a> would face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n Rene Chalarca and Dmitry Logunov, the couple<\/a>, and Helmut Muller Estrada, a good samaritan who stepped in, were violently attacked by the four men<\/a>. The victims said they were targeted because of their sexual orientation. They said their attackers used gay<\/a> slurs while assaulting them.<\/p>\n The attackers are identified as (clockwise, from top left) Pablo\u00a0Reinaldo Romo-Figueroa, 21, Luis Alonso-Piovet, 20,\u00a0Juan C. Lopez, 21, and Adonis Diaz, 21.\u00a0The perps turned themselves in after being seen in video<\/a> and surveillance photos widely shared on social media.<\/p>\n Lopez\u2019s lawyer said there was \u201cclearly\u201d not gay<\/a> animus because Lopez\u2019s father is gay<\/a>: \u201cThese kids grew up with their friend Juan \u2013 their father has been in a gay<\/a> relationship the last 15 years. These kids have participated in that \u2013 that\u2019s at issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post Lawyer Argues Miami Beach Pride Gay Bashing Couldn\u2019t Have Been Hate Crime Because Attacker\u2019s Father is Gay: WATCH<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n