Video Catches Beating of Homeless: Suspects Caught

Officials say surveillance camera footage of a homeless man being brutally beaten helped police track down his assailants. Within one day of the vicious beating, police were able to identify the suspects and contact their families. Both suspects—18-year-old Brian Hooks and 17-year old Thomas S. Daugherty—had fled the state, but were surrendered by family and attorneys after negotiations with authorities.

The two young men have been charged with the murder of 45-year old homeless man Norris Gaynor and aggravated battery in the videotaped beating of 58-year-old Jacques Pierre. The two men may also be suspects in the beating of another man named Raymond Perez.

According to prosecutors, they have not decided whether to try Daugherty as a juvenile or an adult. Hooks has been charged as an adult. His attorney claims that his involvement was more limited than what has been initially speculated.

The videotaped attack occurred on Florida Atlantic University's Fort Lauderdale campus, where footage shows the two suspects beating Pierre with baseball bats. The victim had been sleeping peacefully on a park bench prior to the attack. The deadly attack took place just a few blocks away.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, over 100 homeless people were attacked in 2004, 25 were fatally injured. The primary offenders were males between the ages of 16 and 25.

The video footage of the battery was broadcast across the nation to get the word out about this atrocious abuse.