Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the name of one of the victims and one of the suspects. This story has been updated with the correct spelling. Since the initial publication of this article on Feb. 13, 2019, KXAN received information from the Travis County District Attorney’s office that the case against one of the suspects had been dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A suspect in the assault of a gay couple in downtown Austin implicated his brother and two other suspects in a confession to police, according to new court filings. 

Georgetown resident, 22-year-old Frank Macias was arrested and charged Tuesday morning with two counts of felony aggravated assault. He allegedly confessed to police that he and three others attacked Tristan Perry and Spencer Deehring in January as they left a downtown bar. 

CHARGES FILED: Four suspects arrested, charged in gay couple attack case

Austin police is now investigating a recent assault that occurred Saturday morning, as a hate crime

The three other people Macias allegedly named included his 20-year-old brother along with Quinn O’Connor, 21, and Kolby Monell. O’Connor was arrested Tuesday afternoon and Monell and the 20-year-old were arrested later that day. 

On Jan. 19, police got reports that a couple of men were attacked in near Third Street and Colorado Street. The men were Deehring and Perry, a gay couple who were leaving a gay bar holding hands. 

Deehring and Perry told police a man passed them and yelled a homophobic slur. When they stopped and asked him what he said, they told police he started to “hurl the word ‘f——-‘ several times.” He also allegedly motioned to others around him as he yelled at the couple. 

The four then proceeded to beat the couple up to the point that both had to be hospitalized.

“According to Tristan, he sustained a fractured nose, bruised orbital eye socket, concussion, chipped front teeth, lacerations, stitches and bruised ribs. According to Spencer, he sustained a concussion, injuries to his neck and bruising,” police wrote in the court affidavit. 

They both had to be hospitalized due to their injuries. Now that they are both out of the hospital they shared their story with KXAN. 

ALLEGED ATTACK: Gay couple says they were targetted, attacked in downtown Austin 

When a witness called 911, a suspect threatened to beat him before the four fled. Fuzzy surveillance footage from the nearby Austonian building captured the attack and another camera a few blocks away captured a clearer picture of the alleged attackers before the assault. 

On Jan. 23, the Capitol Area Crime Stoppers tip line received an anonymous tip naming Frank Macias and O’Connor as suspects. During investigations, police identified Monell and the 20-year-old through social media searches. The suspects matched the surveillance images from the night of the attack. 

NEED FOR CHANGE: Activists, legal experts, lawmakers call for change in culture to combat hate crimes in Texas

Frank Macias picked out of a police lineup by Deehring and the eye witness and police were able to arrest him on outstanding warrants. During questioning, he admitted to the assault and implicated the others, police wrote. 

Prosecution 

All four suspects each face two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault and are being held on collective $300,000 bonds. In a Tuesday press conference, Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said prosecutors will pursue a hate crime finding on top of the charges. If found guilty of the assaults with a hate crime finding, the men will face a sentencing range of five to 99 years.