8th Teen Charged In Beating Posted On YouTube
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An eighth teenager has been charged in connection with a beating and robbery that was videotaped and posted on YouTube last week.
The 15-year-old boy was arrested Monday night and charged as a juvenile with one count of robbery and one count of aggravated battery, police said.
According to the Chicago Tribune, he appeared in Juvenile Court on Tuesday with the other six juveniles charged in the attack. All were placed on electronic monitoring, confined to their homes and forbidden from using cell phones, according to the Tribune.
The attack was recorded with a cell phone camera and posted on YouTube.
The oldest suspect, Raymond Palomino, 17, was charged as an adult and remained in Cook County Jail on Tuesday, held on $100,000 bond, according to jail records. He also was charged with robbery and aggravated battery.
Palomino's father, a Cook County Sheriff's deputy, turned him in to police after learning of his son's involvement in the attack in the 2800 block of South Princeton Avenue on Jan. 15.
Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said it was a clear example that such behavior would not be tolerated.
"We got a lot of cooperation from a number of the parents in this case. We've got a ton of cooperation from the community," McCarthy added. "The outrage that everybody has showed as a result of this can be the positive that comes out of it. And the message is really simple. This isn't able to be tolerated."
Palomino's father, Michael Palomino, said he is distraught over his son's actions.
"I just feel bad," Michael Palomino said.
Michael Palomino said he found out through neighbors that his son was involved in the vicious attack.
"I'm upset about what happened, you know, what all this turned out to be," Michael Palomino said. "You know, it's really hurting me."
Raymond Palomino's attorneys have said the family cannot afford to bail him out of jail. His father does not have the money, given that seven people live in his home. The boy's mother is also in jail, attorneys said.
Police said the attack was an act of retaliation over a previous dispute involving the attackers and the victim last October.
The video shows the other teens chasing and surrounding the 17-year-old boy, who is clad in red sweatpants, and relentlessly attacking him. They drag him, only to punch and kick him some more. He was punched and kicked repeatedly in the face.
Palomino is clearly seen in the video. After removing the victim's gloves, Palomino pounds the boy and whacks him with a shoe.
He tries to grab the victim's backpack, and later, flips him over and holds him while another suspect kicks him.
Some of the assailants also hit the boy with chunks of ice and choked him. Finally, he lies there helpless as he was beaten.
It went on for 3 minutes and 39 seconds, as an accomplice shot the video.
The boy was eventually able to escape and run away. He was treated for cuts and bruises at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.
The boy was robbed of his gym shoes, wallet and money, police said. The suspects threw the boy's wallet in the sewer, prosecutors said.
