Four males and four females, all juveniles, have also been charged in the attack.
Shay EdwardsSPRINGFIELD – Shay Andre Edwards, the sole adult charged in beating and robbery of a 30-year-old gay man, has been released on his own recognizance pending a competency hearing set for Friday.
Four males and four females, all juveniles, have also been charged in the early Tuesday morning beating of the man near Barrows Park on Walnut Street.
Police said the suspect’s screamed such things as “That’s what we do to faggots,” during beating. The victim’s MP3 player was taken during the attack.
Police said they are treating the attack as a hate crime.
The victim, knocked down, kicked in the head and abdomen, punched in the face with closed fists, was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he was treated and released.
Edwards, 19, of 11 George St., and the eight juveniles, have been charged with unarmed robbery and civil rights violation with injury.
The 19-year-old’s arraignment in District Court was continued pending the hearing.
The victim and the people accused of attacking him all live in the same neighborhood. While none of the suspects knew the victim by name, they were familiar with him from the neighborhood, police said.