Two New Attackers Seized in Los Angeles

[HOLLYWOOD, CA] - Two men were arrested and charged on Tuesday in a pair of brutal attacks on Oct. 13 on a gay man and a transsexual in Hollywood, Calif. The suspects emerged from a car and beat the victims with an aluminum bat, in what appears to be an eerie repeat of the September attacks of gay men in nearby West Hollywood.

Unlike the West Hollywood attacks, which left actor Trev Broudy with serious injuries, the suspects in the Hollywood case are charged with hate crimes.

"Their motive for the crime was the victims' perceived sexual orientation," said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney. "They used a slur for 'gay' toward (the victims) and threatened their lives," she told the Los Angeles Times.

In Broudy's case the attackers reportedly did not make any slurs. In a highly controversial move that left county leaders and the GLBT community frustrated, the district attorney decided not to charge suspects in Broudy's case with hate crimes, sparking noisy demonstrations and a very public political debate.

According to a press release provided Tuesday by the district attorney's office, Ever Wilfredo Rivera and Selvin Orlando Campos, both 19 and from Los Angeles, were charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon by means likely to produce great bodily injury, and one count of robbery.

In addition, authorities added hate crimes enhancements based on the victims' perceived sexual orientation, which adds an additional year or two to their sentences if convicted. Bail for Rivera was recommended at $185,000 and bail for Campos was recommended at $135,000. Both were arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court, where they pleaded not guilty.

Authorities said the 46-year-old male victim was attacked around 5:30 a.m. and struck on the head with an aluminum baseball bat. He fled to his nearby home, but left his keys in the door, authorities said. They said the attackers took the keys as they fled. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital.

The other victim also was attacked, but managed to deflect a baseball-bat blow. She was cut with a knife, but was not hospitalized, authorities said.

Earlier reports described both victims as men.