Lorenzo Molina, member of Grammy-winning band The Mavericks, assaulted in alleged hate crime

Molina and friend were reportedly attacked ‘for speaking Spanish amongst themselves’

The Mavericks trumpet player Lorenzo Molina was assaulted in a Tennessee sports bar (The Mavericks via Instagram)

Lorenzo Molina, a trumpet player for the Grammy-winning US country band The Mavericks, was assaulted in a sports bar in Franklin, Tennessee.

According to a social media post from the band, Molina and his friend, musician Orlando Morales, were attacked “reportedly for speaking Spanish amongst themselves”.

On Instagram, The Mavericks frontman Raul Malo wrote on behalf of the band: “It saddens us to no end to learn of the assault on our band mate Lorenzo Molina, and his friend & fellow musician Orlando Morales, reportedly for speaking Spanish amongst themselves in a public establishment.” 

“For this assault to occur as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with our own performance (featuring Lorenzo) tonight on the Hispanic Heritage Awards, shows that although we’ve come a long way, we still have a long way to go. America is better than this.”

The post was accompanied by pictures of Molina’s injuries. On a GoFundMe page set up by Molina, the musician wrote that his friend was “in a bad way”.

A Franklin Police Department spokesperson said: "The case is currently classified as an aggravated assault, which is a felony. It has been assigned to a detective, and an investigation is under way."

Ruiz, who hails from Cuba, joined The Mavericks in August 2017, as one of the "Fantastic Five" sidemen supporting the core lineup.

The Mavericks were founded in Miami in 1989. Their 1995 song “Here Comes The Rain” won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.

On 21 August 2020, the band released En Español, the group’s first album recorded entirely in Spanish.

Molina’s message on his GoFundMe reads: “My friend Orlando and I were just brutally attacked at a sports bar because we speak in Spanish. We didn’t do anything to anybody and got beaten up badly. My friend is in bad shape. Any support would help while we proceed with getting justice for this hate crime.”

The Franklin bar in which the alleged assault took place, Tony's Eat & Drink, wrote on social media that it was co-operating with the investigation.

“We would like to send our deepest condolences to the individuals affected by the altercation that occurred,” management wrote. “We want to be clear that we do not support racism or condone hate crimes at our establishment and are taking this matter seriously. We do not nor have we ever allowed for violence to perpetuate for any reason and in this specific instance, our security staff acted quickly and reasonably to bring the altercation to an end.”