Cell Phone Video Captures Vicious Attack of Student in Northeast Philadelphia
By Steve Patterson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Laughter is heard in the background as a cell phone captures the vicious attack of a Philadelphia school student.
The attack happened on a neighborhood street in Northeast Philadelphia. And the video was posted on Facebook.
It is a malicious, twisted half-minute.
For more than 30 seconds, two school-aged students punch, chase, knee, slam and beat another student as a third teen records it -- all while cackling and chanting and screaming.
"You really are disturbed by the way one young man,who's filming it,is just cackling in the background thinking this is fun," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Carl Holmes said.
To add insult, the video was posted Tuesday night on a public Facebook page.
CBS 3 was tipped off about the clip and alerted Philadelphia Detectives.
"We've reviewed that tape and we've actually identified all the people involved," Holmes said.
Holmes says it took about two hours from the time they discovered the video to identify everyone involved.
Police say they have two juvenile suspects in custody and are questioning the victim.
"This is very traumatic, shocking to see. We don't want to see this repeated again," Fernando Gallard of the School District of Philadelphia said.
Philadelphia Public School Officials say most of the five in the video are from the district.
Although they wouldn't say which one, Facebook comments indicate Northeast High School.
And students we spoke to there say it's spreading it around.
"I saw when they was hitting him and I was just like, I can't watch this. It's disturbing," a student said.
"Disturbing," a word CBS 3 heard a lot today, as police and school officials decide how that feeling will factor into punishment.
"To watch somebody being beaten while somebody else laughs like that, that's absolutely disturbing, even to a veteran law officer like me," Holmes said.
Police tell CBS 3 they are searching for a third suspect. All three suspects will face criminal charges for assault.
