The Atlanta man seen in a viral video being savagely beaten by thugs for wearing skinny jeans will speak today at a press conference scheduled for noon.
The victim’s family told reporters that the 20-year-old man came forward on Tuesday to speak with police after the FBI joined the investigation.
“Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos said that the widespread dissemination of the video led family members of the 20-year-old victim to contact police,” according to the Atlanta Journal.
“Atlanta police investigators were able to locate the victim … who gave a statement to investigators,” Campos said in statement emailed to the news media Tuesday night.
In the video, which was first posted on Worldstarhiphop.com, the victim is seen exiting a convenience store on McDaniel Street in the “Pittsburgh” area of Atlanta on Saturday. The man, wearing tight black “skinny jeans” and a long black ponytail, is set upon by three thugs shouting anti-gay slogans.
The thugs punch and kick the defenseless man as he crouched on the ground. One thug picked up a tire that was leaning on a wall nearby and hit the victim with it.
The brutal scene was captured on two cell phone cameras as well as a surveillance video from the convenience store.
The FBI is investigating the incident as a federal hate crime against gays. If captured and convicted, the perpetrators will face stiffer sentences than if they were convicted on state charges.
Watch the video here.
