Chicago Teens Taunted Parents of Special Needs Victim Over Text Message, Police Say

Details are emerging about the four Chicago teens who were arrested in connection with the beating of a man after broadcasting the act via Facebook Live on Tuesday.

The parents of the victim, an 18-year-old special needs student, reported him missing Monday, telling police they had not heard from their son since dropping him off Saturday at a McDonald’s to meet with a friend in the Chicago suburb of Streamwood, according to the Chicago Tribune.

After the man was reported missing, his parents began getting text messages from someone “claiming to be holding him captive,” the outlet reported.

While investigating the texts, Streamwood police came across the 30-minute Facebook Live video showing the victim being tormented by his captors. Shortly after, Chicago police found the man who had been reported missing wandering the streets “in crisis,” according to police.

Police were not immediately available for further comment.

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The video, taken by one of the female suspects, depicts a white man tied up, his mouth covered, cowering in a corner of a room. His attackers, all apparently black according to NPR and the Washington Post, surround him, laughing and shouting “ Donald Trump” and “ white people,” as they kick and punch him, before cutting his forehead with a knife.

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During a press conference on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said all four attackers — two men and two women who are 18 years old — were in police custody and awaiting charges.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in the news conference that authorities were still determining what charges to bring and that hate crime charges are a possibility.

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“It’s sickening,” Johnson said. “It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that.”

“If you commit an act of violence in the city of Chicago, you will experience the full weight of the Chicago Police Department,” he continued. “Tonight, four individuals have felt the consequences of their actions.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, the victim was “traumatized” and treated at a hospital then released to his parents.

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