A 21-year-old Penn State student was charged yesterday in connection with a January 19 assault of two other Penn State students shortly after 1 a.m. in front of Acme Pizza, 200 E. Beaver Ave, the State College Police Department said.

Steven D. Baird, of Pittsburgh, was charged by summons with two counts of simple assault and two counts of harassment and stalking.

The State College police said the victims, one black man and one white man, were punched in the face and head by one or more male assailants. The men were taken to Centre County Community Hospital for treatment.

Witnesses reported overhearing racial slurs from unknown persons in the crowd, however police have not been able to determine their source. Whether ethnic intimidation might have been a factor in the incident is still under investigation. Under Pennsylvania law a crime must be motivated exclusively by race in order to be considered a case of ethnic intimidation.

A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.