Seven teenagers have been charged for the brutal Bridgeport beating of a 17-year-old high school student that was taped and posted on YouTube, reports the Chicago Tribune.
One of the defendants, 17-year-old Raymond Palomino, will reportedly be charged as an adult for robbery and aggravated battery, and his bail was set at $100,000. He is reportedly the son of Michael Palomino, a Cook County sheriff's deputy.
Under Illinois law, aggravated battery can be charged against a person for several reasons, including causing great bodily harm to another or committing a battery in a public location. Aggravated battery can range from a class 3 felony to a class X felony depending on the circumstances of the offense.
We posted earlier about the attack on the boy by a group of teenagers who kicked, punched and dragged him for more than three minutes, all while another accomplice filmed the incident. The video has since gone viral and helped bring the attack to the authorities' attention, as well as possibly shedding light on the assailants' identities.
Raymond is allegedly seen in the video, yelling "get him!" and, at one point, beating the victim with his own shoe.
Michael Palomino told the Tribune he called police and agreed to turn in his son after seeing the video on the news. However, he defended Raymond, saying the attack was in retaliation for a beating Raymond suffered at the hands of the victim and his friends.
"He's the only one charged as an adult," said Palomino. "They're making it sound like he did everything. It's just one side of the story."
The other defendants - five boys and a girl under the age of 17 - received juvenile delinquency petitions on the same charges, according to police. The girl allegedly lured the victim into an alley on South Shields, where the others lay in wait to jump him, the Tribune reported.
Although horrible to watch, public officials say that the videotaped incident is not rare, and there have been other instances of youths going on "sprees," videotaping it, and posting it on YouTube, Superintendant Garry McCarthy told the Tribune.
"This is a national epidemic," said McCarthy. "It's not something that's particular to Chicago."
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
- 7 Charged in Videotaped Beating (WGN News)
- Aggravated Assault (FindLaw)
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