Defendants’ Self-Defense Motion Denied in 2018 Miami Beach Hate Crime Attack – NBC 6 South Florida

The case of a beating in Miami Beach back in 2018 will move forward after a judge on Friday denied the defendants’ claims that they were defending themselves in the attack.

Juan Carlos Lopez, Luis Alonso, Adonis Diaz and Pablo Figueroa are accused of beating a gay couple and calling them anti-gay slurs after the Pride Parade on South Beach nearly four years ago.

The men claimed they were defending themselves and that the couple was the aggressors.

A group of men accused of beating up a gay couple in Miami Beach back in 2018 is now claiming the actions were self-defense. NBC 6’s Jamie Guirola reports

After a three-day “stand your ground” hearing, the judge ruled against the suspects after she reviewed the surveillance footage of the attack.

“There’s nothing in that video, and I have watched it over and over again, that showed me that any one of these defendants was in fear for their safety or their lives,” said Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan.

Dmitry Logunov and Rene Chalarca, who were dating at the time, say there was an accidental bump as they were coming out of the restrooms on South Beach. The situation devolved into the attack, with the four men punching and beating the couple.

The four defendants are now headed to trial and each faces charges of aggravated battery, including enhanced hate crime charges, which carry hefty prison sentences.