Disturbing new video has been released showing the moment a group of teen suspects mugged a 66-year-old man in Baltimore, Maryland, at gun point, with one of the suspects stomping on the victim’s head. Two teens were subsequently arrested, with one facing first-degree murder charges while the other – a 15-year-old male – was released to a guardian.
The shocking incident took place on Thursday just after 10 p.m. when the victim was returning to his home in the 200 block of South Madeira, about a block from Patterson Park in the east side of the city, according to the Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
The victim told police that one of the suspects displayed a gun while at least four other perpetrators blindsided him and began punching him, knocking him to the concrete.
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The video shows the victim lying face first on a road while one hooded suspect can be seen punching him.
Then a second suspect – dressed in a hoody and gray pants – leaps into the air and stomps down hard on the victim’s head. They are then joined by a third suspect and all three appear to go through the man’s pockets before fleeing the scene.
The victim suffered several lacerations and was transported to an area hospital for treatment, BPD said.
Police later arrested 18-year-old Montaz Bailey and a 15-year-old male. A handgun was also recovered, along with the victim's property, BPD said. Both suspects have prior arrests. WBALT reports that Baily was arrested in July for car theft of a white Dodge Caravan in Baltimore County and a bench warrant was issued for him after failing to appear.
Police could not say if Bailey is the person in the video suspected of stomping on the man.
After reviewing the video and evidence, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates authorized an attempted first-degree murder charge to be filed against Bailey, Fox Baltimore (WBFF) reports.
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The victim described to WBFF how the group surrounded him and unleashed their vicious attack.
"I actually didn’t hear anything. They were very, very quiet. Almost like they snuck up on me," the victim, who did not want to share his identity, told the outlet.
"But I could feel their presence. They didn’t say anything but when I saw them, they had ski masks on," Bernie recalled. "In my mind, I knew what was coming next, so I started to run, and they started to chase me. As I was running, I was yelling ‘help, help I’m being robbed.’ He pulled the gun out and he stuck the gun in my face, and I said, ‘What do you want?’ He said, ‘I want everything.’"
BPD Commissioner Richard Worley described the incident as "truly horrific" and said more must be done to address crimes being committed by young people and the lack of consequences and accountability. The incident highlighted the issue of young offenders getting picked up and released in the city, before going on to reoffend.
"These incidents undermine the work of the BPD and erode the trust our communities place in us to keep them safe," Worley said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott issued a statement addressing the attack and also expressed his irritation with repeat young offenders.
"Time and time again, we’re frustrated by this pattern of repeatedly needing to arrest the same young people who have not received the accountability necessary from other parts of the justice system," Scott said in a statement.
"The current pattern does a disservice to our residents, our city, and — importantly — the young people themselves. Our police officers are doing their job, and I commend them for their quick action to find those responsible for this terrible attack. But clearly the larger system continues to fail these young people by returning them to the same environment that cannot hold them accountable or on the right path without the additional support needed to make a real change."
Meanwhile, Randallstown NAACP Branch President Ryan Coleman called for young offenders who are accused of committing violent crimes to be detained after the first offense, pending adjudication.
"Everyone has their constitutional rights: older people should be able to walk the streets, Jewish people should be able to walk the streets, women should be able to walk the streets," Coleman said, per WBFF. "They should not be victimized by juveniles who continue to do this kind of behavior."
