A man on the ground screamed while three others struck him in a Georgia parking lot, and bystanders stood by recording and laughing. Chatham County Sheriff John Coleman on Tuesday pledged to find every person responsible for the attack captured in a video now circulating widely online.
Why It Matters: The sheriff’s office shared the footage publicly and committed law enforcement resources to identifying the attackers, who have not yet been named or charged.
What’s Happening: Coleman declared he would track down all three men visible in the video, along with the person behind the camera if that individual is connected to the assault. He referred to the Chatham County jail by his own nickname, the “Coleman Inn,” saying he had room for all of them there.
The beating took place in a parking lot near a Ruby Tuesdays restaurant and a Murphy’s gas station in Pooler, a city within Chatham County.
Coleman said he wanted the public to see exactly what he saw, which is why his office released the footage. He described the way the victim was attacked as “absolutely terrible.”
During the assault, the victim can be heard crying out. At one point, he told his attackers they were killing him. His attackers responded with laughter.
Catch Up Quick: Coleman said he first viewed the video roughly a week before his Tuesday statement. As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office had not publicly identified any of the individuals shown in the footage and had not specified what criminal charges the suspects might face.
Coleman made clear that the kind of violence shown in the video would not be tolerated in his county and that those responsible would not be allowed to frighten residents.
