Thug arrested in connection with brutal beating of autistic man, 44, who reportedly was surrounded at park drinking fountain
Prior to the attack — in which most of his front teeth were knocked out — the victim was riding his bike home after finishing his shift at a local grocery store.
Relatives of Scott Lindsey — a 44-year-old autistic man who lives in Hammond, Indiana — told WLS-TV he was riding his bike home through a park last month after finishing his shift at a local grocery store where he's worked for 14 years.
Lindsey added to the station that as he stopped to drink at a water fountain, a group surrounded him and began taunting him and calling him names before taking turns beating, punching, and kicking him.
'It looks like, at this point, it was entertainment because they saw he was vulnerable. After a period of time, other individuals, instead of intervening, joined in the attack, and no one, no one intervened on Scott's behalf.'
"I didn't say anything to them," Lindsey recalled to WLS.
When asked what the group said to him, Lindsey told the station they accused him of riding too close to them, "and then they started hitting me."
Lindsey told WLS he's doing OK despite having most of his front teeth knocked out.
"I'm feeling fine," he told the station.
WLS reported that someone saw the attack and called 911.
When officers arrived at Hessville Park, they found Lindsey bloodied and the attackers gone, the station said. Lindsey's stepfather, Brian Beatty, added to WLS that the Aug. 15 attack took place around 7 p.m.
Still, police said Lindsey had visible injuries to his face and wasn't able to fully recount the incident, and officers made sure — in recognition of his vulnerable status — to document the incident as battery and get the victim medical attention.
WLS reported that Lindsey — who has lived with his aunt since his mother died — said at first he didn't want to tell anyone that he got jumped but eventually did.
Beatty added to the station that an even more disturbing detail is that one of the individuals involved in the unprovoked attack recorded the violence and then posted video on social media.
"It looks like, at this point, it was entertainment because they saw he was vulnerable," the angry stepfather noted to WLS. "After a period of time, other individuals, instead of intervening, joined in the attack, and no one, no one intervened on Scott's behalf."
Lindsey added to the station that he won't be riding through the park anytime soon and just wants the whole ordeal behind him: "I felt bad about the whole situation."
His family noted to WLS that Lindsey also will need costly, extensive dental work to repair the damage to his mouth from the attack.
One bright spot in the ugly incident is that police said they arrested a suspect.
Police told WGN-TV that 25-year-old Keshaun Brooks, a Hammond resident, was arrested during an Aug. 31 traffic stop and taken into custody in connection with the attack.
Police on Monday told Blaze News that Brooks was charged with three felonies — one count of aggravated battery, one count of battery resulting in serious bodily injury, and one count of battery resulting in moderate bodily injury. He also was charged with one count of battery resulting in bodily injury — a misdemeanor, police added to Blaze News.
Police also told Blaze News on Monday that Brooks remains in Lake County Jail.
Police added that surveillance video from park cameras indicated that Brooks approached and violently attacked Lindsey, striking him multiple times in the head and face while he was on the ground — and that juveniles at the scene could be heard taunting the victim during the assault.
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