Some Salisbury University students who are accused of attacking a man in an alleged hate crime where the victim was kicked, spat on and shot with a salt gun have been expelled from their fraternity.

The fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, expelled the members after learning about the incident, in which police said the victim was targeted because of his “sexual preferences.”

”Sigma Alpha Epsilon condemns hate and violence in any form, and we are disappointed that members of our chapter were involved in such an act,” wrote Dave Pascarella, director of communications for the fraternity’s national branch, in a statement. “The Fraternity Service Center has reviewed the circumstances surrounding the incident and has confirmed that it was isolated to the expelled individuals.”

Twelve men, ages 18 to 21, have each been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and associated hate crimes, police said. It was not immediately clear how many of the 12 men were also members of the fraternity.

Salisbury University said the students were suspended, and the fraternity was also suspended.

Attorneys for two of the men charged said last week that the alleged attack had nothing to do with the victim’s sexual orientation.

Attorney James L. Britt said the alleged victim is a man in his 40s who propositioned a person who he thought was a 16-year-old.

“Once all of the facts see the light of day, this case will be shown to be an ill-advised attempt to expose someone willing to travel to have sexual relations with a 16-year-old child,” he wrote in an email last week.

According to charging documents, Zachary Leinemann, 18, pretended to be a 16-year-old and used the gay dating app Grindr and then Snapchat and text messages to communicate with the victim.

The victim, who said he suffered bruising and a broken rib, was let into an off-campus apartment by Leinemann and attacked by more than a dozen young men, police allege.

In Maryland, the age of consent is generally 16 years old. There are stricter rules around consent for people in positions of authority, such as a teacher, according to the People’s Law Library.

All of the defendants were released without bail, and all except two are under electronic monitoring, according to online court records.

Baltimore Banner reporter Ellie Wolfe contributed to this report.