Four Plead Guilty In 2018 Miami Beach Pride Attack

On April 8, 2018, four young men were captured on surveillance cameras viciously attacking two gay men coming out of a public restroom in Lummus Park during Miami Beach Pride. After four and a half years, they finally had their day in court on Monday. The four attackers – Pablo Reinaldo Romo-Figueroa, Juan Carlos Lopez, Adonis David Diaz, and Luis Manuel Alonso-Piovet – were identified and arrested around the time of the assault. They were originally charged with aggravated battery with enhanced hate crime charges. At the time, the Miami Beach Pride attack and eventual arrests garnered major headlines. But their defense attorneys have delayed any decision in their cases through motions, taking depositions and other legal maneuvers. https://twitter.com/SFGN/status/1584656927979884544 A plea deal was finally worked out in which the charges were reduced to battery with prejudice, a second-degree felony. All four pleaded guilty in court on Monday. Alonso-Piovet also copped to assault with prejudice on religious or institutional grounds (a misdemeanor). https://twitter.com/nunez_anna/status/1584744197521039360 Had the cases gone to trial, the four faced up to 15 years in prison. Instead, the judge sentenced them to five years probation, 200 hours of community service, mandatory participation in anger management, and mental and substance abuse evaluations, according to South Florida Gay News. They were also required to apologize to the two victims, Rene Chalarca and Dmitry Logunov, who were present at the sentencing. Both had signed off on the plea agreement. Earlier this year, the defense attorneys attempted to use Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” defense accusing the victims for the confrontation. But Judge Fajardo Orshan nixed the defense since there is clear surveillance video that shows that wasn’t the case. For more information head over to South Florida Gay News. In the report from the local ABC News affiliate, you can see the attack captured by surveillance cameras. https://youtu.be/7UKsUcB3MGE