Teens Photograph Disabled Woman After Covering Her In Eggs, Flour

Four teenagers were arrested Saturday in connection to an incident where a disabled woman was pelted with eggs and flour in a park in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, U.K.

The incident took place on Friday at 5.30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. EDT) when the unidentified victim, who is in her 40s, was verbally abused before being covered in eggs and flour. The four teenagers responsible then posed for a photo with the victim, which went viral on social media.

While the police have condemned the teenagers’ actions in strong terms, they did not immediately confirm if the two 15-year-olds and two 17-year-olds arrested were the ones seen in the photograph. It is also not clear if the person who clicked the picture had anything to do with the attack.

"This type of behavior is totally unacceptable and we are treating the matter seriously. We know this incident may have caused concern and anger both in the local community and online, but we would like to reassure everyone that we are tackling the matter robustly and supporting the victim,” Inspector Anthony Bridgland said, The Sun reported.

A friend of the victim, Katherine Brame, took to Facebook to criticize the attack and assure well-wishers the woman was “safe” and not physically injured.

“I have to speak out. Today’s incident has made me so sad and devastated. The lady in question needs her privacy and suffers with an unseen illness. She cannot cope with people popping in, or gifts. It’s complicated but if you want to help, how about donating to a mental health charity as people with these unseen illnesses go under the radar all the time and they are totally under-funded. Then maybe she will get the real help she needs from qualified people. You’re all very kind,” she said in the post.

St. Olaves ward councilor Paul Hopfensperger also said he was deeply distressed after hearing about the news.

“I would like to say that I, like everyone, was totally shocked to hear of this assault on the woman in my ward. I am totally shocked, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I was out celebrating my son’s birthday when I heard about it,” he said. “That night I couldn’t sleep thinking about it. It happened right outside the community centre, the whole thing is just awful for the area. I sincerely hope that lady is okay. The police have done an excellent job and the public’s response has been excellent. Hopefully we won’t have something like this happen up there ever again.”

The photograph, which shows the disabled woman crouching on a park bench while the four teenage suspects pose behind her, grabbed eyeballs on social media after social media star Robin Armstrong posted the image to his 750,000 followers, along with an extended video where he offered to help track down the culprits.

Among the violent threats Armstrong directed at the teenagers responsible for the detestable act, were to have their “heads ripped off your shoulders,” hunted down and chased out of their city.

According to the locals, the four teenagers seen in the photograph had been raising such havoc in the neighborhood for the past few weeks, that it was getting difficult to safely navigate around town.

"Groups of kids congregate in packs and hang around the parks and the shops. The truth is that there is nothing for these kids to do out here so they cause trouble. There are some boys who often gather in the park behind and people avoid them at all costs because you know it will lead to trouble,” one local told The Sun.

Another elderly resident said: "I avoid the park at certain times because they gather there at 5 p.m. and do drugs and drink alcohol. I have very bad eyes and I would not know if they suddenly jumped out. I am not sure if my guide dog would protect me either. The real reason I carry this cane is for protection, in case one of them does something."