CHICAGO _ A group of girls was showing a 15-year-old with special needs how to flash gang signs when the teens suddenly started beating her as they walked down a South Side alley earlier this week, according to Chicago police.
The new details of the beating, caught on a video that went viral, were disclosed Thursday as police announced charges against three of the girls, ages 13, 14 and 15. All three were charged as juveniles with aggravated battery and mob action. Police said they were looking for two other teenagers.
"This is a tragic incident, and my heart goes out to the victim and her family," police Lt. Ozzie Valdez said at a news conference.
The girl had been reported missing from her South Side home on July 18, but the beating occurred this past Monday while she was with girls from her neighborhood who she thought were her friends, Valdez said.
The video, posted by a friend of the girl, shows her walking down an alley with the other girls when one of them suddenly punches her shoulder. The girl turns away to protect herself, and the other girls run up and start hitting her in the back.
The girl turns back around, crying and screaming and waving her arms to fend off the others. But the girls run up and begin punching her again. The girl falls to the ground, crying. As the crowd around her laughs and jeers, one of the girls helps her up.
The video ends there. By Thursday morning, it had gotten more than 6 million views.
The girl was later found on the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line and went to the Harrison District police station, where her father and community activists gathered to talk to officers. The girl was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center to be checked out.
Police earlier said they were looking into reports that the girl was sexually assaulted. But neither Valdez nor police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, also at the news conference, would comment further.
"There were some things going on that these young ladies wanted her to do," Johnson said. "We'll leave it at that for now."
The superintendent was critical of Twitter for not taking down the video and offensive comments it generated. He added, "If you're dumb enough to post a crime on social media, that shows you where your head is."
