IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police are treating the assault of a black University of Iowa freshman as a possible hate crime.
The Iowa City Police Department said Wednesday it is investigating the assault of 19-year-old Marcus Owens of Naperville, Illinois and has developed information on possible suspects.
The department says Owens told police Monday that he was beaten and called racial slurs by three white men on Saturday night in a downtown alley. He received treatment at a hospital.
WLS-TV in Chicago first reported the assault Tuesday night, saying Owens suffered damage to his lip and eye socket and had his front teeth knocked out.
The university said that it was "deeply disturbed" by the report. Owens' mother told The Associated Press the family is meeting Wednesday morning with the dean of students.