Four young men face felony charges after a disabled 19-year-old was beaten for roughly 30 to 40 minutes at a bonfire gathering in Tiger Bay State Forest, Volusia County, Florida, on October 23.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the attack was captured on video that later circulated online. The suspects—18-year-old Cody Stripling, 19-year-old Sebastian Bowers, 18-year-old Logan Levesque, and 19-year-old Casey Knight—are facing enhanced felony charges and are being held in jail without bond.
According to Chitwood, the victim, who has physical disabilities, attended the party with a friend but did not know anyone else there.
“He doesn’t want to participate. Eventually he does. And then you saw where these morons — actually, we’ve dubbed them scumbags of the week — they decide that is going to be a really good idea to beat somebody down who can’t defend themselves,” Chitwood said.
Video reviewed by investigators reportedly shows one of the men punching the victim while he sat on the bed of a truck before pulling him to the ground, where others allegedly joined in beating him. At one point in the footage, someone asks the victim, “What did you do?” He responds, “I didn’t do shit.” Shortly after, someone is heard telling others to spit on him.
Authorities said the victim suffered a concussion and minor injuries.
“They’re all looking at felonies, and they’re looking at something that’s going to follow them for the rest of their lives,” Chitwood said, according to WFLA.
The sheriff’s office released footage of the suspects being taken into custody. In the video, one of the men can be heard telling others at the scene, “Hey, call my Mom!”
The suspects reportedly claimed the victim had made a comment about a woman in the group, though authorities have not indicated that justifies the attack.
“How did you raise your kid that this is a good thing and no one trying to stop it, right? Nobody intervenes. They beat him down, they film it and they’re laughing. And then eventually, his friend is able to get him out of there. And then they waited a day before mom calls us,” Chitwood said.
