Four men have been arrested in connection with the brutal homophobic attack in downtown Austin, Texas, last month that sent the two victims to the hospital.
CBS Austin reports the four suspects are Frank Macias, Quinn O'Connor, Miguel Macias and Kolby Monnell.
All four suspects face two counts of second-degree felony assault. Their bonds have been set at $150,000 for each charge, for a total of $300,000.
According to CBS Austin, a second-degree aggravated assault charge, if convicted, could result in a prison sentence of two to 20 years. If a hate crime finding was successfully proven on top of that, the sentencing range would increase to five to 99 years in prison.
Officials say social media played a part in identifying some of the suspects by matching physical descriptions as well as tattoos, as well as surveillance footage from nearby buildings.
Additionally, the police received a crime stoppers tip naming Frank Macias and another individual.
The victims, Spencer Deehring and Tristan Perry, told police they were walking to their car after leaving Rain Nightclub on January 19.
The couple were holding hands when a man called them a homophobic slur. When they asked what he had said, the man began calling them 'f*ggots' and called to previously-unseen men who joined in the taunting.
Perry says the men began to follow them while verbally harassing them. Perry eventually tried to verbally defend himself, but was punched by a man described as muscular with long, blond hair.
He fell to the ground and according to reports, all four men began to kick and punch him. When Deehring tried to defend Perry, the men turned on him as well.
A witness came to their rescue and the men fled. Both Perry and Deehring were taken to Sell Seton Hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
Deehring positively identified Macias in a police lineup. Perry continues to experience memory loss due to the attack.
According to an affidavit, Frank Macias admitted to the attack and implicated his brother, Miguel, as well as O'Connor and Monnell, as taking part in the assault.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the victims defray the costs of medical treatment and loss of income.
