Video Of Teens Assaulting Mentally Disabled Man Goes Viral

Philadelphia police are searching for a group of teenagers who assaulted a mentally disabled man Thursday, according to WCAU. A viral video of the incident has been shared over 100,000 times on Facebook.

The video was posted on Monday by Gerald Andrews Sr., 48. In the caption, he describes the man as his friend "who happens to be mentally challenged." He told Philly.com on Monday that the man was one of his coworkers at the ShopRite in Cheltenham and identified him by his first name, Mark.

"He keeps that smile on his face. He wants to talk sports. He’s a good guy," Andrews said of Mark. Another employee alerted him about the video before he shared it on Facebook himself.

"It's heartbreaking," he said about the assault.

The video, recorded in slow motion, shows a group of five males surrounding Mark. The youngest is seen laughing. One sucker punches him while he is distracted and another hits him on the head when he tries to leave. The attack occurred on Chelton Avenue and Knox Street in the Germantown area of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia police told KYW-TV that the teens in the video had been identified, but it is unclear if they are in custody. They called the video "very disturbing."

Northwest Detectives Division is investigating the assault, said police spokesman Sgt. Eric Gripp to Philly.com on Monday.

"Obviously, what is depicted in the video is very disturbing," Gripp said, "We would implore anyone who has info on the video, or who knows the identity of the victim to reach out to police."

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