Two South Shore men charged with hate crime in Boston

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Two men who work together at a Boston bar were held on high bail Thursday for their alleged connection to a hate crime at South Station.

Colin Hayes, 21, of Quincy, and Derek Ruiz, 28, of Brockton, were arraigned on charges of unarmed robbery, assault and battery, and a civil rights violation with injury in Boston Municipal Court. Both men were held on $15,000 bail.

Investigators allege a man was inside the lobby area of the MBTA South Station Commuter Rail at about 5:40 a.m. Saturday when two men, who investigators identify as Hayes and Ruiz, began yelling homophobic slurs at him without being provoked. Transit police say the man ignored Hayes and Ruiz until finally asking them to leave him alone.

Police allege Hayes and Ruiz left the area only to return five minutes later, at which time they punched the man. Hayes and Ruiz are accused of stealing the man's phone before fleeing.

The man was treated at Tufts Medical Center for injuries to his face. Investigators say they used surveillance footage and tracked down the man's cell phone to connect the alleged hate crime to the two suspects.

Police visited the bar on High Street where they learned both men work through tracking the man's phone down through a seller on Craigslist. They found Hayes working in the kitchen and he agreed to speak with police.

Hayes told investigators he left work the night before the assault at midnight and drank alcohol as he waited for Ruiz to leave work. The 21-year-old reportedly admitted he and Ruiz got into a fight with the victim, during which he punched the man.

Ruiz was not working during the police interview with Hayes. He was arrested by Transit police Thursday morning.

Cox Media Group