NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) - Two Delaware teens have been charged with assaulting a mentally disabled man after they complained to police that they were being harassed because of a video of the attack posted to social media, authorities said Monday.
Police also said they are seeking more suspects.
Personal contact information for the Newark teens, 13 and 14, was shared online with the video. They were arrested Saturday after they and their parents went to police headquarters to complain about threatening phone calls, said New Castle County police officer Tracey Duffy.
The two boys were charged with offensive touching, assault of a vulnerable adult, and conspiracy. They were released on bonds of $2,500 after being arraigned.
Investigators believe the 27-year-old victim was assaulted more than once. They are still trying to determine how many times and the number of people involved.
Investigators believe the first attack happened sometime in July, with the most recent a couple of weeks ago. Duffy said the victim, who lives in the same apartment complex as one of the suspects arrested Saturday, was treated for a non-life-threatening injury after one of the attacks, but she declined to provide details.
Duffy said the two suspects were arrested after police investigating their complaints looked at the video, which shows the victim being body-slammed to the ground, stomped on and repeatedly punched in the head.
Sixteen-year-old Angeliz Marrero, of New Castle County, told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia that she reposted the video to her Instagram followers after she first spotted it.
"I was so mad, but at the same time, the first thing I thought was, "I have to do something about this,'" Marrero said.