2 men charged with hate crime in robbery involving gay man

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Two men are charged with a hate crime for allegedly robbing a gay man in Murray.
Brian Platt and Monte Luker allegedly used slurs and a baseball bat when robbing the man of his phone.
Both Platt and Luker face aggravated robbery charges with hate crime enhancements if convicted.

MURRAY — Two men who police say yelled a homophobic slur at a gay man while robbing him of his phone have been charged with committing a hate crime.

Brian Steven Platt, 47, of Salt Lake City, and Monte Eugene Luker, 46, of South Salt Lake, were each charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; and causing property damage, a class A misdemeanor. Both charges come with hate crime penalty enhancements if convicted.

On July 4, a man was outside his apartment near 5500 South and 200 East when Platt and Luker allegedly "pulled up in an SUV. Luker yelled a homophobic slur at (the man), who is gay," according to charging documents.

"Luker then exited the vehicle and chased (the man) with a baseball bat, and Platt took the phone from (the man's) hands. Luker swung the baseball bat at (the man) but missed and hit the building," the charges continue.

When the man asked for his phone back, Luker allegedly swung the bat at him again, and both men then forced the victim to "get on his knees and beg for his phone back. While (the man) was pleading for them to give his phone back, Luker and Platt were yelling a homophobic slur at him," the charges state.

The men then threw the victim's phone, damaging it. The phone, however, was being recorded on a FaceTime call which showed Platt holding the phone and Luker swinging the bat, according to the charges.

Platt was arrested Thursday after returning to the apartment complex where the victim lives and allegedly confronting him again. When Luker was taken into custody, he claimed that "he was using meth and bath salts the night of the incident," according to a police booking affidavit.

Both Platt and Luker have lengthy criminal histories, according to court records.

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