A gay Alabama teen stabbed a man in the back after the man attacked him and two of his friends in Florida when the suspect learned of his sexual orientation, police said.
The 18-year-old Mobile resident was taking a TikTok video with two Alabama friends early Monday morning in Miami Beach when Glenford Rhule Jr., 24, began insulting them and throwing chairs at them, according to a Miami Beach police incident report.
One of the teen’s friends, a 19-year-old Semmes resident, told police that Rhule asked the 18-year-old if he was gay and that the suspect then threw a drink at the friends and lunged at them.
The 19-year-old also told police that he was hit by one of the chairs Rhule threw at them but was not injured.
The group then scattered away from Rhule when the 18-year-old was later cornered by the homeless suspect, who began punching him, the police report states.
The 18-year-old found a “random knife” that was on the street near where the incident occurred and stabbed Rhule in the back “for fear of his safety.”
A third friend, a 20-year-old Semmes man, was punched in the face during the attack and suffered a cut to his face.
The friends were eventually able to run to a nearby hotel to ask for help.
Rhule was arrested Monday on a charge of battery.
Prosecutors are looking into the possibility of charging Rhule with a hate crime, according to Miami Fox affiliate WSVN, which first reported the incident.
