Chicago police investigate Facebook live assault

Chicago police announced late on Wednesday that they had arrested four suspects over a video broadcast on Facebook live that showed several people torturing a man who was bound and gagged. The victim, whom police said was mentally disabled, was abducted from a suburb and brought to an area in the southwest of the city.

In the video, which has since been removed from Facebook, the white victim is assaulted by at least four black assailants who are heard shouting expletives about President-elect Donald Trump and "white people." Police say two assailants are male and two are female and over 18 years old.

Police said that the victim was held for between 24 and 48 hours, and besides being subjected to beatings, had his hair cut so close to his scalp that he bled. The authorities were called to the residence on Tuesday evening, where they found evidence of a struggle. The victim was found nearby by another group of officers.

'Sickening'

"It's sickening," said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, adding that the suspects were being held until formal charges could be filed. "I've been a cop for 28 years, and I've seen things that you shouldn't see in a lifetime, but it still amazes me how you still see things that you just shouldn't."

The police have not yet decided whether or not to charge the suspects with a hate crime, or if there were real political motivations behind the attack.

Police Commander Kevin Duffin said investigators will "determine whether or not this is sincere or just stupid ranting and raving." He also said that the man in the video knew one of his assailants.

The victim, police said, had been released from the hospital but was traumatized and having difficulty communicating with detectives.

Facebook released a statement saying that the platform had taken the video down as the company does "not allow people to celebrate or glorify crimes on Facebook."

es/kms (AP, AFP)