BOSTON -- Two men accused of taunting two other men with homophobic slurs and then assaulting them have been given a trial date, said Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley.

Darren Morgan, 46, and Howard Rice, 50, are charged with assault and battery, disorderly conduct and civil rights violations, said Conley. Both men will appear in Boston Municipal Court on Dec. 10.

The charges are the result of an incident on June 15, according to Boston police. Morgan and Rice were on Washington Street when the victims walked towards them from a bus stop, police said. The pair allegedly began to verbally abuse the two men, targeting them on the assumption they were gay, said police.

The victims tried to avoid the men, but Rice put one of them in a headlock, said Conley.

The man broke free from Rice, and the victims ran into a nearby restaurant, Conley said. Morgan and Rice followed them in and began to physically assault them, said Conley. Boston police responded, and arrested the two men, police said.

Morgan and Rice were initially arraigned on June 16 of the assault and disorderly conduct charges, Conley said. Rice was held on $500 cash bail, and Morgan was released on his own recognizance, he said.

After a police investigation, both men were rearraigned on Aug. 19 on the civil rights violation charge, said Conley.

The two men have pleaded not guilty.