Four Florida teenagers are being held without bond after authorities say they beat a disabled 19-year-old man for as long as 40 minutes during a bonfire gathering at Tiger Bay State Forest near Daytona Beach.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood identified the suspects as Cody Stripling, 18, Sebastian Bowers, 19, Logan Levesque, 18, and Casey Knight, 19. He said the attack happened Oct. 23 against a victim who has limited use of one arm.
According to video of the incident described by Chitwood at a press conference Thursday, the victim was sitting in the back of a pickup truck when one of the suspects struck him in the head and threw him to the ground. He was then punched and kicked repeatedly while on the ground, unable to defend himself, as the group laughed.
“When I first saw it, the first reaction was I want to throw up,” Chitwood said. “These morons, who we’ve dubbed ‘Scumbags of the Week,’ decide it’s a good idea to beat somebody down who can’t defend themselves.”
“He couldn’t even throw a punch,” Chitwood said. “He couldn’t do anything. He just walks up and gets sucker-punched and they’re piling on him, kicking him, stomping him, putting him in a chokehold.”
Chitwood said the victim had come to the bonfire with a friend and was shy, initially hesitant to join the gathering. The suspects told investigators the man had made an inappropriate comment about a woman at the party and touched her leg, and said they were “defending the woman’s honor.” The sheriff rejected that justification.
“You’re beating an individual that basically has one arm is what you’re doing and some other issues. And you think it’s cool. I don’t — I don’t — I don’t get it,” Chitwood said.
The victim’s friend eventually pulled him away from the group, but his mother did not report the attack to authorities until the following day. The 19-year-old suffered a concussion and several minor injuries.
All four teens face enhanced felony charges, including battery on a disabled adult. Chitwood said Knight recorded the assault and shared the footage on Snapchat.
“If you’re gonna stand there and film this stuff, and then post it, your ass is getting locked up, OK?” Chitwood said. “You have a duty to intervene but you want to be a cameraman and get clicks and you want to film your punk coward ass friends, you’re going to get the same treatment that they’re going to get.”
Stripling and Bowers were arrested first, followed by Levesque and Knight. All four are being held in the Volusia County jail without bond.
“They should be known for what they did. You want to me a big man? Well, now they’re going to be treated like big men,” Chitwood said.
Add comment