Chicago police surveillance footage shows that a man beaten on a downtown street corner last month was, despite the enticing story that spread with a viral video of the attack, not a car thief or carjacker.
CWB Chicago first told you about the questionable storyline last month. Now, police surveillance footage obtained by the Twitter account CPD1617Scanner shows the man was walking down the street when he got jumped.
The man was attacked on the corner of State and Van Buren around 10:19 a.m. on Saturday, January 14. At one point, an offender picks him up and slams his head into a steel beam that supports the L tracks. Here’s the original video that went viral:
Different scenarios accompanied the video. Some said the man was a “Kia boy” who got caught trying to steal a car. Others said he tried to carjack people, but they fought back. Across the internet, thousands of viewers applauded the video as street justice that a car thief deserves.
But CWB Chicago reported that the victim filed a police report that said he had been attacked for no reason. Chicago police officers pulled surveillance footage that showed the alleged attackers, who were rumored to have a car that the victim tried to steal, walking away from the scene.
That surveillance footage, posted by CPD1617Scanner, appears to support the victim’s version of events. It shows him walking up the street and encountering the attackers as he arrives at the corner of State and Van Buren. Watch:
The footage shows the man being hit with a metal pole, dragged from the street, kicked, punched, and slammed into the steel girder. CPD’s video also shows a bystander stealing the victim’s backpack, which fell into the street, as the men are beating him.
Chicago police had no record of any reported auto thefts or carjacking attempts in the area.
No arrests have been announced.
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