Chicago, IL - Six teenagers are under arrest tonight with two more expected to turn themselves in shortly after a brutal robbery that the assailants filmed and posted to Youtube.
It was that same video that led to the capture of the suspects, after police began receiving tips from the public on the identity of those involved in the attack.
On Sunday afternoon, the victim, a 17-year-old boy was walking past James Ward Elementary School in the Bridgeport section of the city when the thugs grabbed him. He was beaten mercilessly for several minutes and robbed of his wallet and shoes.
The taped beating lasted for an excruciating 3 minutes and 39 seconds, during which time the victim was punched, kicked and choked.
Amazingly enough, he suffered only minor injuries and was treated and released at Mercy Hospital.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy told CBS Chicago: “The fact that these kids think its okay to video this; which they’re doing on purpose, it didn’t happen by accident, somebody didn’t just say, ‘Oh, I have a phone, let’s tape this … it’s deliberate.”
“Fortunately, you know, we don’t have serious injury or death here. Someone picks up a brick, who knows, right? So, that’s the next step in this evolution. It becomes almost like a gateway,” McCarthy said.
Of course, these types of brutal attacks have become commonplace in Chicago.
McCarty stated: “This isn’t new, unfortunately. This is a dynamic that’s been going on for a while. Almost common, let’s put it that way. We just had an incident with a homeless man getting knocked out on a train platform, right? We were able to make arrests on that very quickly, but it’s the same exact thing. They did it on purpose, they taped it on purpose and then they put it up on YouTube.”
The victim in this case, reportedly attends Marie Curie Metropolitan High School, while the alleged attackers all attend Thomas Kelly High School.
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