REDLANDS - Three white Lake Elsinore men have been charged in connection with the Dec. 29 beating of three Hispanic victims in the parking lot of Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, in the 1300 block of West Colton Avenue, according to officials.
Though initial reports of the assault indicated that a group of eight to 10 assailants with shaved heads yelled racial slurs at the victims and claimed to be affiliated with white supremacist groups, the incident is not being treated as a hate crime, according to Police Department spokesman Carl Baker.
"After investigation and review by the Hate Crimes deputy DA Mike Martinez and chief deputy DA Karen Bell, there is no evidence to support hate crime charges. There were eight men involved in the fight with the three victims. Those eight were a racially mixed group, including Caucasians, Hispanics and one African-American," Baker reported.
John Branson was charged with one count of simple battery and one count of battery causing serious injury; Sean Haapala was charged with three counts of simpler battery; and Ray McGarvey was charged with one count of simple battery, according to Susan Mickey, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.
The three victims, two men and one woman, were taken to a local emergency room following the December attack. All suffered cuts and bruises and one of the men was treated for a broken arm.
Representatives of the topless bar, where several other fights have occurred, were unavailable to comment Friday on whether increased security measures had been implemented at the business after the December assault.
