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Chicago Police revealed today how the man seen bound and allegedly tortured in a Facebook Live video was able to escape captors.
After nearly six hours of being tormented by his captors Tuesday, the 18-year-old-man with "mental health challenges" managed to free himself and escape after his captors left the apartment to confront a neighbor on a lower floor who had complained about the noise they were making, Chicago Police Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said at a press conference today.
The neighbor initially complained to two of the suspects who live in the apartment unit -- sisters Brittany Covington, 18 and Tanishia Covington, 24 -- and threatened to call the police if the noise didn't stop, Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said.
The sisters were angry that they had been asked to quiet down, so they left the apartment and went downstairs to kick in the neighbor's door, Cmdr. Duffin said.
That provided the man an opportunity to escape to the street.
Police officers had originally responded to a damaged property call at the Covingtons' building, stemming from the sisters kicking the neighbor's door, when they located the victim on street nearby.
Officer Michael Donnelly was responding to the damaged property call when he spotted the victim wearing jean shorts, sandals and a tank top that was inside out and backwards, despite the frigid temperatures. Donnelly said the victim was "bloody" and "battered" when he approached him. He then called an ambulance and left him with two other officers while he continued the investigation at the Covingtons' building.
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On Saturday, the victim's parents had dropped him off at a McDonald's in Streamwood, a suburb northwest of Chicago, under the premise that he would be spending the night with his friend and school acquaintance, suspect Jordan Hill, 18, of Carpentersville.
Hill then picked up the victim in a stolen van, which the victim assumed was his, and the pair drove to the west side of Chicago and visited with friends for two days, sleeping in the van overnight, Cmdr. Duffin said.
The victim’s parents reported him missing on Monday. The next day, the victim and Hill went to the home of the Covington sisters.
Several hours later, a “play fight” between the victim and Hill escalated, and the suspects bound him and began to assault him, Duffin said.
“That’s when racial slurs and deference to his mental capacity starts coming out,” Duffin said of the video. “That’s primarily one of the reasons why they were charged with the hate crime.”
The video was initially posted on Facebook but was later removed. The social media company said it "does not allow people to celebrate or glorify crimes on Facebook."
The video of the violent assault shows the victim, a white man, with his mouth taped shut as his captors allegedly repeatedly torture him. Someone is heard yelling, "F---- white people."
At one point, the victim was threatened with a knife and told to curse President-elect Donald Trump.
"Say f--- Donald Trump," someone is heard saying.
"F--- Donald Trump," the victim says.
President Obama addressed the video today, telling ABC affiliate WLS in Chicago, "we appear to have seen" a hate crime in the alleged attack on the victim.
"It's terrible," he said about the incident.
Chicago Police revealed today how the man seen bound and allegedly tortured in a Facebook Live video was able to escape captors.
After nearly six hours of being tormented by his captors Tuesday, the 18-year-old-man with "mental health challenges" managed to free himself and escape after his captors left the apartment to confront a neighbor on a lower floor who had complained about the noise they were making, Chicago Police Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said at a press conference today.
The neighbor initially complained to two of the suspects who live in the apartment unit -- sisters Brittany Covington, 18 and Tanishia Covington, 24 -- and threatened to call the police if the noise didn't stop, Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said.
The sisters were angry that they had been asked to quiet down, so they left the apartment and went downstairs to kick in the neighbor's door, Cmdr. Duffin said.
That provided the man an opportunity to escape to the street.
Police officers had originally responded to a damaged property call at the Covingtons' building, stemming from the sisters kicking the neighbor's door, when they located the victim on street nearby.
Officer Michael Donnelly was responding to the damaged property call when he spotted the victim wearing jean shorts, sandals and a tank top that was inside out and backwards, despite the frigid temperatures. Donnelly said the victim was "bloody" and "battered" when he approached him. He then called an ambulance and left him with two other officers while he continued the investigation at the Covingtons' building.
Criminal Charges Filed Against 4 Suspects in Facebook Live Assault Case
Facebook Responds to 'Sickening' Assault Video Posted on Social Media
On Saturday, the victim's parents had dropped him off at a McDonald's in Streamwood, a suburb northwest of Chicago, under the premise that he would be spending the night with his friend and school acquaintance, suspect Jordan Hill, 18, of Carpentersville.
Hill then picked up the victim in a stolen van, which the victim assumed was his, and the pair drove to the west side of Chicago and visited with friends for two days, sleeping in the van overnight, Cmdr. Duffin said.
The victim’s parents reported him missing on Monday. The next day, the victim and Hill went to the home of the Covington sisters.
Several hours later, a “play fight” between the victim and Hill escalated, and the suspects bound him and began to assault him, Duffin said.
“That’s when racial slurs and deference to his mental capacity starts coming out,” Duffin said of the video. “That’s primarily one of the reasons why they were charged with the hate crime.”
The video was initially posted on Facebook but was later removed. The social media company said it "does not allow people to celebrate or glorify crimes on Facebook."
The video of the violent assault shows the victim, a white man, with his mouth taped shut as his captors allegedly repeatedly torture him. Someone is heard yelling, "F---- white people."
At one point, the victim was threatened with a knife and told to curse President-elect Donald Trump.
"Say f--- Donald Trump," someone is heard saying.
"F--- Donald Trump," the victim says.
President Obama addressed the video today, telling ABC affiliate WLS in Chicago, "we appear to have seen" a hate crime in the alleged attack on the victim.
"It's terrible," he said about the incident.
