In an incredibly ugly and disturbing racial incident in Chicago, an apparently mentally disabled man was savagely beaten and tortured over a two-day period while his assailants laughed, taunted him with racial slurs and berated Donald Trump.
Four African American teenagers are in police custody after a Facebook Live video of the brutal kidnapping and assault of the unidentified white male was posted. The deeply unsettling video shows the poor young man tied up with tape across his mouth, as his attackers repeatedly slapped him, kicked him, and tore at his clothes with a knife in a Chicago home.
Brittany Herring, 18, streamed the video live on Facebook on Tuesday while she and at least two males and one female attacked the victim, a resident of a Chicago suburb, according to police. Racial slurs, anti-Trump chants, and raucous laughter can be heard in the video as the attackers beat the man, cut through his clothes, and slice off a piece of his scalp.
Chicago Police have detained four suspects in connection to a kidnapping and assault that was captured on a Live Facebook stream. Authorities believe the victim is a high-risk missing person with special needs from northwestern suburban Crystal Lake. CPD first learned of the video on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2016. The police believe the man in the video is the same man they found around 5:26 p.m. after responding to a Battery call. Upon arrival, Officers found a man walking around outside, disoriented. He was then transported to an area hospital.
“At 5:26 p.m. officers then responded to a battery at a residence on the 3300 block of W. Lexington where they discovered signs of a struggle and damage to the property and were able to link this evidence to the disoriented male,” the CPD statement said. “Officers later became aware of a social media video depicting a battery of an adult male which is believed to be the same individual.”
In the video, the men can be seen slapping the victim while they yell, “F*ck Donald Trump n*gger, f*ck white people, boy.” Herring can then be seen turning the camera back to herself as she laughs at the assault.
Comments that can be heard on the video include: “You shouldn’ta did that bro,’ ” When the police find it they gonna test that blood bro,” “Cut this sh*t,” “I’m finna’ make yo’ a$$ walk all the way home buck a$$ naked,” “B*tch a$$ nigga,” “F*ck Donald Trump nigga, F*ck white people.” One black male can be heard telling the white male victim to, “Stand your b*tch a$$ up!” as the other two laugh on camera, smoking a cigar, telling him to, “Sit yo’ b*tch a$$ down!”
Brittany Herring can be seen watching the comments on her Live feed as her little sister wrote in and said that the incident wasn’t funny. The black male on scene replied with, “Tell Donald Trump that’s not funny.” The white male victim continues to sit in the corner with his mouth taped shut and his hands and feet bound. “This the police right here. F*ck 12.” Another black female then appears in the video. The men can be heard repeatedly smacking the victim as the women laugh in the background.
The half-hour video can be seen here. In another video, the suspects force the victim to drink water straight from the toilet.
The man was hospitalized and treated for his injuries, police said. He was said to be recovering on Wednesday, but was deeply traumatized by the assault. The names of those in custody have not been released.
At a press conference Wednesday, police said that the victim and suspects were still being interviewed by detectives and the Cook County District Attorney’s Office. Formal charges are expected to be filed by Thursday.
“I’ve said time and time again that if you commit an act of violence in the city of Chicago, you will feel the full weight of the Chicago Police Department,” Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at the press conference. “And tonight, four individuals have experienced the consequences of their actions.”
The police seemed to throw cold water on the possibility that hate crime charges will be filed.
“Kids make stupid mistakes. I shouldn’t call them kids, they are legally adults, but they are young adults and they make stupid decisions,” Detective Commander Kevin Duffin said of the racial remarks about Trump and white people. “That certainly will be part of whether or not we seek a hate crime, determine whether or not this is sincere or stupid ranting and raving.”
CPD press conference regarding disturbing live social media video depicting a battery ; victim was tied up https://t.co/jDrjfz4sJV
— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) January 5, 2017
Johnson said the incident doesn’t appear to be politically motivated. “I think part of it is just stupidity,” he said. “People ranting about something they think might make a headline. At this point we don’t have anything concrete to point (toward a hate crime), but we’ll keep investigating and let the facts guide us on how this concludes.”
In Chicago 2017, apparently, the kidnapping and torture of a mentally disabled person is now considered kids “making stupid decisions.” Un-be-lievable.
This bring to mind another attack in November, a day after the election, when another white man in Chicago was also savagely beaten by a group of African Americans and taunted with racial and anti-Trump slurs.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member