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Several victims assaulted and robbed in DC burglary, four suspects arrested

Craven and Brecht are two of several victims believe they were targeted for being gay.

WASHINGTON -- D.C. police arrested four suspects Monday afternoon after a string of robberies and assaults took place Sunday morning along the U Street Corridor in Northwest. 

Karl Craven and his boyfriend Braden Brecht were just two of several victims who were attacked in the string of robberies and assaults that took place between 1:45 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Sunday. The couple believes they were a part of a hate crime. 

Police reports say several males called Brecht a "f*gg*t" before attacking him and stealing his wallet and cell phone. 

RELATED: Community rallies around gay couple attacked on U Street

"I was powerless and all I could do was try to protect him," Craven said in a Facebook post.

Officers on scene spoke with several witnesses and were able to obtain video of the attack. Witnesses were also able to positively identify the individuals in the video as the same males who were involved in the robberies and assaults along Vermont and U Street, according to police reports. 

Brecht was then transported to Washington Hospital Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

After the attack, Craven set up a GoFundMe page in order to help pay for Brecht's medical bills.  

On Monday afternoon, Police arrested the four suspects: 19-year-old Akiz Peterson, of Temple Hills, Maryland, 19-year-old Marcus Britt, a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy, all from Fort Washington, Maryland. 

Detectives believe there are several more suspects involved in the string of Sunday morning's violent attacks. 

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