Lancaster City police said they are talking to several "persons of interest" in a weekend assault in which two Asian Franklin & Marshall College students say they were punched and called racial epithets.

It remains unclear what sparked the incident, or whether the victims were targeted, police said. Police declined to say of what ethnicity those persons of interest are, but did identify them as F&M students.

"From the initial reports, we thought it was a fight — no different from any of the weekend fights we deal with all the time," said city police Sgt. Todd Umstead.

"The fact that there were racial slurs being used, that raises the stakes," he added. "Under state law, that's a criminal offense unto itself. What we're trying to sort out is, was this targeted? Was it motivated by race or ethnicity?"

The incident occurred near campus, on the 400 block of Nevin Street, about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. A number of students live in apartments on that block, say neighbors.

The two victims — ages 20 and 22 — live off campus, one on the 500 block of West Lemon Street and the other on the 500 block of West James Street. One of the two students was treated for minor injuries at the F&M infirmary and released.

It is unclear what the two were doing on the 400 block of Nevin Street when they were confronted by a larger group of students.

College officials declined to answer questions about the incident today.

"Nobody at F&M is at liberty to say anything because it's an ongoing investigation," said Dulcey Antonucci, an F&M spokeswoman.

In a prepared statement to the media, however, the college condemned the perpetrators.

"This behavior undermines the values of mutual respect and trust that are at the very foundation of the Franklin & Marshall community and are essential to its healthy, diverse and civil community." the college said.

Antonucci said college officials do not know whether the two victims were targeted because of their ethnicity.

No arrests had been made as of late this morning.

The 400 block of Nevin Street runs parallel to College Avenue between West Lemon and West James streets. It is one block from campus.

"Every now and then there's a little excitement," said one resident of the block. "But it's usually just parties. There's not too much in the way of trouble. About once a year you hear a ruckus."

F&M's public safety patrols were the first on the scene of Sunday's incident. They patrol parts of the northwest city around the college campus, where there is off-campus housing.

They referred the investigation to city police.

"By the time our officer got there, it was pretty much over with," said Umstead. "Everyone was dispersing."

The two victims told police they were assaulted by a larger group of F&M students and called racial slurs, Umstead said. There was no weapon used, he said.

"We have people of interest we're talking to right now," he said.

"If they used malicious intent — meaning that was the purpose of their attack — that fits the category of ethnic intimidation," Umstead said.

Such a charge would be in addition to — and more serious than — an assault charge, in terms of penalty.

Pennsylvania's ethnic intimidation charge is not a stand-alone offense. Prosecutors use it to stiffen penalties for other charges such as assault and harassment.

Antonucci said the students believed to have been involved have not been disciplined, pending the completion of the investigation.

"The college is launching its own investigation pursuant to our student judicial process," the college said in its statement.

In response to the assault, F&M's Joseph International Center is holding a "Unity Gathering of Light" at 10 p.m. tonight on Hartman Green. Students are invited to carry candles, glow sticks, cell phones, iPods or any other type of light to the Green for a few moments of silence.

City police ask anyone with information about the assault to contact them at 735-3300.

Last week, a Tufts University freshman shouted racial slurs at a group of Korean students, sparking a judicial investigation into alleged bias.

And earlier this month at the University of California's Santa Barbara Campus, two Asian students were injured outside their fraternity in what has been described as a racially motivated assault.


Staff writer Tom Murse can be reached at tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021.