Four men, aged 18 to 19, have been arrested and face felony charges in Florida for allegedly beating a disabled 19-year-old man during a Halloween bonfire. The assault, which lasted between 30 and 40 minutes, was filmed by the perpetrators.
Cody Stripling, 18, and Sebastian Bowers, 19, were arrested following the incident at Tiger Bay Forest. Logan Levesque, 18, and Casey Knight, 18, were arrested on Wednesday, the Volusia Sheriff's Office announced.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood described the attack as vile, noting the victim, who has one arm, was severely injured. The attackers repeatedly used racial slurs against the victim, who is white, according to the sheriff's office. Footage shared by police shows the assailants verbally harassing the victim before striking him and knocking him to the ground, where the beating continued. A woman can be heard pleading for the attack to stop in the background.
The video also shows one of the assailants spitting on the victim, who repeatedly asked what he had done to provoke the assault. The person filming the incident forced the camera onto the bloodied victim's face, telling him to smile.
All four men have been charged with aggravated abuse of a disabled person, battery by strangulation, and aggravated battery. Sheriff Chitwood stated that the charges are serious and will have long-lasting consequences for the accused.