Police: Three Juveniles Use Gun To Bully Boy With Autism In Viral Video
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (CBS Local) -- Three juveniles are in police custody after a video surfaced showing a 13-year-old with a gun pointed at his head before being punched several times.
The video shows Derrin Weddle on his knees being taunted by a group of kids, demanding that he kisses a teen's foot. Someone then pulls out a pistol and holds it against his head. The first teen then tells Weddle to stand up before repeatedly punching him in the face.
"I didn't know if the gun was real or not," Weddle told KSHB. "All that was going through my mind is that if I got shot what would my brother feel, what would my mom feel?"
Weddle's mother, Emily Bridges, says her son, who is on the autism spectrum, came home with bruises on Saturday but she didn't know what happened until her other son showed her the video.
"I was hurt," Bridges told WDAF. "I was angry. I was crying. I was mad. I was upset because he didn't defend himself."
Bridges said the youths who assaulted her son also stole money from him.
Police say Alexander Schrader, 17, turned himself in Tuesday after the video made the rounds on social media. Two other juveniles were also taken into custody.
"We take incidents like this very seriously and handling cases involving violent crime is a top priority," the Independence Police Department said in a statement.
"Additional information, including criminal charges, will be released when it becomes available."