SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Police arrested two teenage girls seen attacking a 62-year-old man in a viral post on Facebook in front of his Syracuse, New York home.
The man told police he was assaulted Wednesday afternoon after politely asking a group of teens sitting on his lawn to leave. What happened before the video was recorded is not clear.
Cellphone footage of the resulting confrontation, which has since gone viral on social media, shows one of the girls punching the man twice in the head, according to WSTM-TV.
He tries to run after her, but a second girl spins him around as several teens laugh, one recording with his phone. The man continues to give chase, but stumbles and falls face-first in the street, his cane sliding away from him.
Warning: This video contains graphic language, some people may be disturbed by the content.
Cellphone video of the alleged assault has been viewed more than 1 million times on Facebook. The footage has spread so widely that the man in the video says he’s been contacted by relatives in Ireland who saw it.
Police say they have arrested two girls, 14 and 15, who face third-degree assault charges. Both girls, who aren’t being named because they are juveniles, received appearance tickets and left with their parents.
The mother of one of the girls told WSTM that she wants to apologize to the man, saying what her daughter did was uncalled for. She says her daughter will face the consequences and is accepting full responsibility.
The man says he suffered a bruised eye in the attack and is recovering.
