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The Missoula Police Department has learned the identities of the suspects involved in a reported downtown assault on a gay couple earlier this month.

Sgt. Travis Welsh said he does not believe either man has been arrested, and that charges have not yet been filed.

A couple told police they were leaving the Rhino just before midnight on Feb. 11 when two other men passed them on the sidewalk and yelled a homophobic slur.

One of the men told the Missoulian that when he turned around he was punched in the face and hit repeatedly. He managed to get back inside the bar to call for help, and said that when he came back, the two were attacking his partner.

Welsh said he believed the case will be handled through city court, meaning the whatever charges may be filed would be misdemeanors.

Montana’s hate crime law is written as a penalty enhancement that can be applied at sentencing, but likely could not be used in this case because the law does not cover sexual orientation as a protected class.

Rachel Carroll Rivas, co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, said while federal hate crime laws cover gay people, it’s unlikely they would be applied to many of the cases that arise in Montana.