Three gay friends were attacked while filming a TikTok video on Miami Beach. But thankfully, it was their attacker who walked away injured.
According to local news source WSVN-TV 7 News, a 24-year-old man named Glenford Rhule has been charged with three counts of battery for the attack of three gay youths. An 18-year-old from Alabama was visiting his 19- and 20-year-old friends, all of whom decided to maintain their anonymity, when Rhule confronted them.
Rhule walked up to the group and asked, “Are you gay?” before immediately responding with, “Ugh, I don’t like gay people.”
“He ended up spitting at me, and then, that’s when he threw the beer at me,” said the 18-year-old. The Alabama resident shares that the man then “hit me in the back with a chair and punched me.”
At that point, the victim chose to defend himself. The teenager says he picked up a knife and stabbed the attacker.
“I just saw something shiny on the ground, and I just stuck him with it,” the teen said. “I ended up stabbing him [on his left side].”
The Rhule then punched the 20-year-old, which caused a cut to his face, and pulled the knife out of his side. The assailant then began chasing after the group as they fled the scene. They eventually ran to the crossing of Collins Avenue and Ninth Street. There, surveillance footage from the Sherbrooke Hotel caught the altercation, according to AL. One of the victims ran for safety but Rhule followed behind.
“It looked like a knife in his hand,” Sherbrooke Hotel owner Mitch Novick said. “People were turning around with fear in their eyes.”
Moments later, Miami Beach Police officers arrived and arrested Rhule. Rhule was then taken to the hospital before being transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Again, Rhule is facing three counts of battery. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office is also looking into the situation to consider the addition of a hate crime charge.
The story and case continue.
Source: WSVN-TV 7 News, AL,
Us gays have to stick together.