Chicago Police Say Special Needs Teen Tortured, Four Now In Custody For Possible Hate Crime
Chicago police say charges will soon be filed after a special needs teen was victimized, tied up, and tortured by four people who also recorded a portion of the events and then uploaded the video evidence to Facebook. The fact that the victim was white and the four in custody are black has added another layer of racially-tinged disgust to reactions on social media.
Describing the crimes as “sickening,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is concerned about the whole issue, according to the Electronic Urban Report. The article also states that “[t]he victim, as yet unidentified, who police say has special needs, was seen cowering in a corner with his arms tied and mouth taped shut.”
Furthermore, the Chicago Police Superintendent added, “He was recorded being kicked and punched before he had his hair cut until his scalp bled. The victim also had his clothes cut and had cigarette ash flicked over the wound on his head.”
Two black men and two black women have been taken into custody, per EUR’s story details, after law enforcement in Chicago were “made aware of the 34-minute video.” There does seem to be the possibility that this may be charged as a hate crime, and charges will be filed soon per the law enforcement comments.
Chicago Police Superintendent Johnson added that it just “makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that. I’ve been a cop for 28 years, and I’ve seen things that you shouldn’t see in a lifetime, but it still amazes me how you still see things that you just shouldn’t.” Police apparently became aware of the video on Wednesday afternoon; the incident occurred Tuesday, per Fox 32 News in Chicago. They also note that it’s unclear whether this will be charged as a hate crime.
“The group appearing to hold the man hostage are black, while the victim is white, but police say they have not yet determined if the case will be investigated as a hate crime.”
Comments made on a YouTube video page reveal upset on the news out of Chicago.
https://youtu.be/wrMCob9B8Ac
The comments are revealing, including this first one from Si vis pacem, para vellum two hours ago.
“It looks like a scene from Planet of the Apes…”
And this comment from Whitney Pyant 1 hour ago:
“Disgusting people. I hope they throw away the key.”
The details further given by the Electronic Urban Report are clear regarding the events and the video.
“Here’s a super messy story we hate to have to report. Four nitwits in Chicago have been arrested after brutal footage of a young white man … allegedly being held hostage, beaten and tortured … was streamed live on Facebook.”
The article also states that the video footage “shows four people allegedly holding a man hostage in an apartment on the 3400 block of West Lexington on Chicago’s West Side on Tuesday. It was originally posted on Facebook Live by Brittany Herring but has since been deleted from her social media page.”
From Twitter, people have been reacting to the Facebook post of the incident, which apparently went on for a long time.
#BLM #BLMKidnapping Well. Doesn’t she seem like a doll. #BrittanyHerring pic.twitter.com/bu0yyvKgxa — Fiction Writer (@Jacob__Storms) January 5, 2017
.@donlemon, don’t allow Simone to Justify the actions of these black Teenagers. What they did was a hate crime! Don’t blame the Election! pic.twitter.com/ujic3QR8F9 — Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) January 5, 2017
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson will have his hands full, of course, but at least law enforcement will move to bring charges against those in custody for the duct-taping and torture of the special needs teen.
[Featured Image by Tae-Gyun Kim/File/AP Images]
