Normal, IL – Illinois State University Police are actively investigating an assault that occurred early Saturday near the Bone Student Center. The incident, which took place around 2:20 a.m., is being treated as a potential hate crime due to the language used by the suspects.
A student riding a scooter was confronted by four individuals who knocked him off the scooter and punched him in the face. The student reported that the suspects repeatedly used homophobic slurs during the assault. After the attack, the student returned to his off-campus residence and declined medical assistance.
The incident was reported to ISU Police an hour later at 3:20 a.m. ISU authorities have been investigating throughout the weekend and are urging anyone with information to contact detectives at (309) 438-8631. The Illinois Department of Human Rights offers additional resources on reporting bias-motivated incidents and hate crimes, available at their website.
