Chicago police say four people are in custody after a Facebook Live video appeared to show a mentally disabled man being held captive and attacked.
According to police, officers were notified of the video on Tuesday afternoon. The stream, which was posted on Facebook, reportedly shows the man tied up in the corner of an apartment on Chicago’s West Side while the people in the video tear at his clothing and hit him. Police said statements against Donald Trump and against white people can be heard in the video.
Police said the man was held for at least 24 hours and possibly as long as 48 hours. He is reportedly a classmate of one of the suspects. On Tuesday, officers spotted him walking on a West Side street wearing shorts in cold weather. He appeared disoriented, so they stopped him and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. He is now recovering.
Police said the suspects are in their late teens or early 20s. Chicago Police Commander Kevin Duffin said it is quite possible this is a kidnapping and that it is one of the charges police would seek. He added that the man is traumatized and that it has been tough to communicate with him.
Despite the mention of Donald Trump in the video, police said they do not believe the crime was politically motivated. They also said they do not believe it has any ties to the Black Lives Matter movement, even though some Trump supporters used the hashtag #BLMKidnapping when sharing the video on Facebook. Superintendent Eddie Johnson said police had nothing concrete pointing in that direction, that some of the online talk was people ranting for attention, and that investigators would let the facts guide them.
Charges are allegations, and anyone arrested is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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