Story highlights
An African-American man in his twenties beats a white man after asking about Michael Brown
Two more young black men join in the beating, which is caught on cameras
(CNN)When one man sat down next to a second man in a St. Louis light rail car and asked him his opinion on the shooting of Michael Brown, it was not the beginning of a discussion.
It was the start of an assault, police said.
The second man, who was white, didn't want to answer the question. Then the first man, who was black, boxed him in the face. Two more African-American men joined in the beating, according to a police report about Monday's incident.
It was caught on surveillance cameras on the MetroLink train and a passenger recorded it with a cell phone and posted the video online. It has gone viral.
Police confirmed to CNN that the online images came from the attack.
Late commute
The victim, 43, was commuting home when a young man in a red T-shirt and cap walked up to him. The victim asked not to be named in media reports.
The man asked to use the victim's cell phone. He declined, and the young man sat down beside him.
"Then he asked me my opinion on the Michael Brown thing," the victim told KMOV, "and I responded I was too tired to think about it right now."
The suspect, in his 20s, stood up.
"The next thing I know, he sucker punches me right in the middle of my face," the victim said. The video showed the suspect unleashing a barrage of punches at the head of the victim, who covered himself with his hand and forearms.
The two other men, also in their 20s, joined in, police said. As the train pulled into a station, a security guard saw part of the beating and alerted police.
The man in the red T-shirt could be seen on video kicking at the victim's face before the train's doors opened and the assailants ran out.
Faces on camera
The train's surveillance cameras captured clear images of their faces, which MetroLink passed on to journalists. Police are looking for the three men.
Story highlights
An African-American man in his twenties beats a white man after asking about Michael Brown
Two more young black men join in the beating, which is caught on cameras
(CNN)When one man sat down next to a second man in a St. Louis light rail car and asked him his opinion on the shooting of Michael Brown, it was not the beginning of a discussion.
It was the start of an assault, police said.
The second man, who was white, didn't want to answer the question. Then the first man, who was black, boxed him in the face. Two more African-American men joined in the beating, according to a police report about Monday's incident.
It was caught on surveillance cameras on the MetroLink train and a passenger recorded it with a cell phone and posted the video online. It has gone viral.
Police confirmed to CNN that the online images came from the attack.
Late commute
The victim, 43, was commuting home when a young man in a red T-shirt and cap walked up to him. The victim asked not to be named in media reports.
The man asked to use the victim's cell phone. He declined, and the young man sat down beside him.
"Then he asked me my opinion on the Michael Brown thing," the victim told KMOV, "and I responded I was too tired to think about it right now."
The suspect, in his 20s, stood up.
"The next thing I know, he sucker punches me right in the middle of my face," the victim said. The video showed the suspect unleashing a barrage of punches at the head of the victim, who covered himself with his hand and forearms.
The two other men, also in their 20s, joined in, police said. As the train pulled into a station, a security guard saw part of the beating and alerted police.
The man in the red T-shirt could be seen on video kicking at the victim's face before the train's doors opened and the assailants ran out.
Faces on camera
The train's surveillance cameras captured clear images of their faces, which MetroLink passed on to journalists. Police are looking for the three men.
St. Louis public transit camera captures images of beating suspects.
St. Louis public transit camera captures images of beating suspects.
They face possible charges of third-degree assault, police said. It is a misdemeanor under Missouri law.
The victim was left with bruises on his face and forehead, police said. The first punch dug the frame of his eyeglasses into the skin of his nose, the victim said. He declined to receive medical treatment.
But then there was the emotional pain. On the video, people could be heard laughing while the man was beaten.
"I think it was disgusting that people were sort of laughing and smiling about it," the victim said. "And no one offered to help. No one seemed to call 911."
Condemnation of the beating has spread across social media, including from people who protested the shooting of Brown last year by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer was not indicted in Brown's death. St. Louis alderman Antonio French, a vocal community leader in the aftermath of Ferguson, tweeted his disappointment in the beating.
"Mike Brown question sparks MetroLink beating caught on video," he wrote. "This is disgusting. We have a major problem,
Question about Michael Brown leads to beating
Question about Mike Brown leads to beating in St. Louis - CNN.com
Just sad. Racism is acceptable now...as long as you have the right complexion.
Let's add a Ferguson thread to the Zimmerman thread! Rehash! Rehash! Rehash! Go team!
This is not a rehash of anything other than possibly a racially motivated beating. It will be interesting to hear how Obama and the DOJ deal with this incident. Do you foresee a federal civil rights investigation/charges in this case?
Question about Michael Brown leads to beating
Question about Mike Brown leads to beating in St. Louis - CNN.com
Just sad. Racism is acceptable now...as long as you have the right complexion.
Let's add a Ferguson thread to the Zimmerman thread! Rehash! Rehash! Rehash! Go team!
The only hope I have is that, eventually, it's gonna be nothing but mixed "race" babies running around. When we're all light brown, this will all go away.
No, young thugs will still find an excuse to go around beating people up.
Well, yeah, but RACE won't be one of those excuses...
Conceal carry puts a stop to nonsense like that.
You want the attackers to have concealed guns?
Just sad. Racism is acceptable now...as long as you have the right complexion.
I foresee the victim wing of the GOP coming out for it.
Conceal carry puts a stop to nonsense like that.
That is very frustrating to watch. The victim is just a punching bag for the guy. That doesn't require any fighting skill , just load up and throw a punch at a guy covering up. I want the victim to explode on the punk but I also know his two buddies would have joined in the fighting then.
But still, you got to fight back. Take a few more punches but at least having the satisfaction of making one good connection to that skinny ass punk.
Not one fellow passenger even yelling for them to stop is very telling. I wonder if the victim had been black would the fellow passengers do anything? Is this just another case of Kitty Genovese of NYC?
No it's not. I assume those guilty were/will be arrested and will be prosecuted and jailed, and I doubt if you can find anyone to support the beating.
Actually, people who go around attacking people for no real reason are likely to be armed whether or not it's legal.
So this isn't racism? This shouldn't be treated as a hate crime? Double standards are ok as long as it is the democrats and their voters who benefit right? Typical.
Tell me. Do you think it was ok for this kid to beat up a white guy?
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