The FBI is trying to determine if the alleged beating of a 26-year-old gay Savannah man by two Marines warrants federal charges as a hate crime.
Meanwhile, both men have been placed on barracks restriction while their commanding officers also investigate, according to Gunnery Sgt. Chad McMeen, a spokesman at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, where the two are stationed.
The two Marines have received death threats via Facebook, according to McMeen.
"I can only hope that the truth will come out in the end," said McMeen, urging people not to jump to conclusions. "The more investigation into the incident, the better."
The pair were arrested early Saturday in downtown Savannah on a misdemeanor charges of battery after they allegedly attacked a gay man who might have winked at them.
The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet typically do not name people charged with misdemeanors. The Marines are assigned to two different fighter attack squadrons at the base, McMeen said. One of the men is a lance corporal and the other a corporal, he said.
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