2 Plead Guilty in O.C. ‘Gay Bashing’ : Court: Pair attacked a man, 55, in Laguna they thought was homosexual.

Two South County men accused in the brutal beating of an Asian-American beach-goer they thought was gay pleaded guilty to all charges Monday in Orange County Superior Court, including the commission of a hate crime.

In exchange for their pleas, Jeff Michael Raines, 19, of San Juan Capistrano, and Christopher Michael Cribbins, 22, of San Clemente face the prospect of reduced maximum terms when they are sentenced Oct. 8.

The Jan. 9 attack, on a rocky stretch of beach near three Laguna Beach bars popular among homosexuals, alarmed and galvanized a community that has long been wary of “gay bashing.” It sparked an emergency session of the City Council, a review of public safety procedures in the area and renewed efforts to foster tolerance among young people toward homosexuals.

The victim, 55-year-old Loc Minh Truong, said Monday that he still does not understand why he was singled out for attack. He said he can no longer walk without assistance and expects to spend several more years in therapy to regain his strength and the ability to perform simple tasks.

“I’m very angry,” he said, recalling the night of the attack. “I’m not gay. I don’t know why they thought I was. I was just out walking along the beach. They came and asked me something.

“I don’t understand English very well,” he said. “They motioned me to go with them somewhere, and I tried to walk away. That’s when they hit me. I don’t remember much; I don’t remember much more than that. Every time I think about it, it frustrates me.”

Truong said he does not care how long his assailants are incarcerated but wants to be compensated for his medical bills. He said he was confused by Monday’s plea agreement but hopes that the men will be ordered to pay restitution at their sentencing.

Court records show that Truong pleaded guilty in 1988 to engaging in lewd conduct with another man at the same beach where he was beaten.

Advocates for gay and lesbian rights in Orange County said they felt the anticipated sentences will send a strong message about gay bashing crimes.

Robert Whyte, a member of ACT UP/Orange County, said the anticipated sentences are longer than he expected, and in Raines’ case, even longer than he would have requested.

“I’m not really interested in punishment as much as I want to see rehabilitation,” Whyte said. “If he comes out of prison meaner and more violent than he goes in, it won’t do any good. It sounds to me like a good, strong message that people who commit gay bashings will be treated harshly.”

Raines, a former high school football player who had faced a 15-year sentence for attempted murder and assault with intent to do great bodily injury, now can receive no more than 11 years in prison. Cribbins, a clerk in a leather shop, faces a maximum of one year in county jail and probation on the assault charge, instead of seven years in state prison.

Both men remain free on bail. A third person, a 16-year-old juvenile who was arrested after the attack, was later released and was not charged, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors believe that Raines and Cribbins drove to Laguna Beach along with several others to seek out and attack gays.

At least eight juveniles, most students at San Clemente High School, were involved, police said. One of the juveniles told Laguna Police Chief Neil J. Purcell Jr. that Raines had said: “Let’s go down to Mountain Street to get some fags.”

There are three gay bars at or near the intersection of Mountain and South Coast Highway, including the Little Shrimp, a block from the beating scene. Police said that Raines and Cribbins went down to the beach, where they accosted Truong, pushing him down onto a rocky shelf of beach, and “stomped” on his head.

At Raines’ preliminary hearing in February, Laguna Beach Police Officer Jason Kravetz said he went to the Mountain Street beach after two witnesses reported a fight. Kravetz testified that he found Truong on a rocky section of the beach, unconscious, lying face up. His left eye was severely damaged and a rock was lodged three quarters of an inch into the back of his head.

Truong, of Costa Mesa, was placed in intensive care at a Mission Viejo hospital after the beating, where he remained in critical condition for days.

Prosecutors say Raines actually beat Truong. Cribbins called him a “fag” and shoved him against the rocks, they said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Craig McKinnon said Monday’s pleas “send a message that this kind of conduct cannot and will not be tolerated in Orange County.” The prosecutor said that he accepted the pleas, in part because they served “the victim’s interest,” as well as the interests of justice.

Neither Raines nor Cribbins commented on the verdict, either in court or when questioned by reporters.

Frederick McBride, Raines’ attorney, said there “was not much controversy in this case about what happened” on the beach that night.

“There’s no doubt the prosecution had enough evidence to convict” Raines, McBride said.

But the defense attorney said that what took place was “30 seconds worth of madness” that was “uncharacteristic” of Raines, whom he said was a “gentle person. . . . He’s been sorry for those 30 seconds since it happened.”

Cribbins’ lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Denise Gragg, called the plea “appropriate in that Chris doesn’t deserve to go to prison. He was swept into a situation that was not of his making.”

At home, Truong lies around the house and has difficulty moving and understanding things, said Loi Truong, 58, the victim’s brother. He added that Loc Truong is “like a child” since the attack.

Loc Truong’s medical bills are mounting, and his family does not know how they will pay. Loi Truong said his family is planning to file a civil suit against the defendants to recover the cost of the medical bills.

Times staff writer Rene Lynch contributed to this report.