Four young men from Volusia County are facing felony charges after authorities say they beat a 19-year-old with physical disabilities for roughly 30 to 40 minutes at a bonfire party in Tiger Bay State Forest on October 23, in an attack caught on video.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects as 18-year-old Cody Stripling, 19-year-old Sebastian Bowers, 18-year-old Logan Levesque, and 19-year-old Casey Knight. All four are being held in jail without bond and face enhanced felony charges.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the victim went to the gathering with a friend but did not know anyone else there. According to Chitwood, the teen was initially reluctant to join in but eventually did, before the group turned on him.
“He doesn’t want to participate. Eventually he does. And then you saw where these morons — actually, we’ve dubbed them scumbags of the week — they decide that is going to be a really good idea to beat somebody down who can’t defend themselves,” Chitwood said.
Video of the incident shows one of the young men punching the victim while he sat on the bed of a truck, then pulling him to the ground, where others appeared to join in beating him. At one point, someone can be heard asking the victim, “What did you do?” He replied, “I didn’t shit.” Shortly after, someone told the others to spit on him.
Authorities said the victim suffered a concussion and minor injuries. Investigators say the suspects later claimed the beating was prompted by a comment the victim made about a woman in the group.
“They’re all looking at felonies, and they’re looking at something that’s going to follow them for the rest of their lives,” Chitwood said, according to WFLA.
The sheriff’s office released footage of the suspects being taken into custody. In one clip, a suspect is heard calling out, “Hey, call my Mom!”
Chitwood criticized the group for not stepping in to stop the attack and for the delay in reporting it to authorities.
“How did you raise your kid that this is a good thing and no one trying to stop it, right? Nobody intervenes. They beat him down, they film it and they’re laughing. And then eventually, his friend is able to get him out of there. And then they waited a day before mom calls us,” Chitwood said.
The investigation into the attack remains ongoing.
