It takes a lot for the cops to call some teenagers scumbags. But that’s what one sheriff from Florida did after two teens were arrested after they recorded themselves punching and kicking a man with mental and physical disabilities at a bonfire party. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office posted a portion of the video on their social media pages, and it has caused an outcry from the community as they demand the other people involved in the assault to be lawfully punished as well. (Warning: The video embedded below contains violence and profanity.)
Two Florida teenagers arrested on assault and battery
Two teenagers, 18-year-old Cody Stripling and 19-year-old Sabastian Bowers, were charged with assault and battery after they were seen on video striking a handicapped man during a bonfire in Tiger Bay State Forest on October 23 at around 2 a.m., according to a report from Law & Crime.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office did not mince words on what he thought about the two suspects on the department’s official Facebook page in a video that been viewed over 1 million times.
“Congratulations to our new Scumbags of the Weekend, Cody Stripling (18) and Sabastian Bowers (19),” Chitwood wrote. “If you’re a decent person, this video will disturb you. Obviously it didn’t bother Cody or Sabastian.”
According to an affidavit, deputies say that the victim, who is seen in the video being struck by multiple people and thrown hard from a truck onto the ground, has a “clearly visible birth defect on his right hand which causes him to have limited use of his right hand.” The mother of the victim believes that he also has a “minor mental disability” that has not yet been diagnosed.
Police are still searching for other involved, including the cameraman
Based on a probable cause arrest affidavit, the victim said his friend had taken him to the bonfire party that night, but he chose to remain near his friend’s truck for about an hour since he didn’t know anyone there. When his pal left to take some people home and bring others to the bonfire, the victim said he mingled at the party for another hour before things took a terrible turn.
The video shows the victim sitting in the tailgate of the pickup truck when Bowers approaches and slaps him. Stripling also punches and slaps the victim before Bowers grabs and throws him to the ground. Deputies say Bowers then repeatedly punched and kicked the victim with his work boots while he was on the ground. According to a report from the Miami Herald, investigators say the teens had attacked him “without provocation.”
At one point in the footage, the victim is seen being strangled in a chokehold. The cameraman, who has not yet been identified, shoves his phone in the victim’s face and tells him to “smile” for the camera. Bowers also allegedly grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back. Investigations say that the victim had been beaten for 30 to 40 minutes, so the video only shows a small portion of the assault.
When the victim’s friend returned to the party, he saw what was happening and pulled Stripling off the victim, per WESH. The friend then took the victim to safety and provided deputies with a video of the attack.
The victim was treated for a concussion, multiple bruises, and several contusions. While he was able to identify Bowers and Stripling as two of the suspects that assaulted him, the deputies are searching for more information about the other people who took part in the assault, including the cameraman.
Stripling and Bowers were arrested on October 28, as seen at the end of the video, and booked at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bail. They have been charged with aggravated battery, aggravated abuse of a disabled person, and battery by strangulation. They are set to appear in court on December 8.
