Three teenagers who attend Crown Point High School in northwest Indiana are facing criminal charges in connection with a "brutal attack" on a fellow student, which was captured on video and spread widely on social media, authorities said.
The incident is believed to have taken place Jan. 8 inside a restroom located at the Lake County Fairgrounds, the Lake County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. A teenager was lured into the bathroom by a teen he thought was his friend before being punched, kicked and stopped on while another teen recorded the assault, police stated.
The victim could be heard on the video pleading for his attackers to let him go, authorities revealed. Both the three suspects and victim are 15 years old and freshmen at Crown Point High School.
In the news release, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. explained he is "disgusted by this display of violence and utter humiliation from the boys who preyed upon the young man in the video."
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"The images literally made me sick to my stomach," the sheriff said. "Not only did they bully and assault the boy physically, but they also attempted to shame him even further by spreading the video among other students. This kind of violence is pure evil and cannot be tolerated."
Two of the teenage suspects were booked into the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center, while the third is set to face charges at a later date, the sheriff said.
The victim sustained bruises, as well as other injuries in the attack, and is being cared for by family.
