Posted on May 15, 2012

U.S. Army Soldier Brutally Beaten in South Tampa

WTSP (Tampa), May 14, 2012

Police want your help finding four men who teamed up to beat a young U.S. Army soldier in a South Tampa street.

{snip} Police say the victim of a violent beating caught on camera is 24 years old and has lived in Tampa for less than a month.

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Police say Sunday morning, at around 3 a.m., the soldier’s car broke down a few miles from home along Westshore Blvd.

The attack came when he was walking home and using Iowa St. to get from Westshore to Dale Mabry. At the intersection of Iowa and Renellie Dr., the man came into the view of a neighbor’s motion-activated security camera.

A group of three young men is seen walking ahead of the soldier. Police say one of the men in the group doubled back and asked to soldier to borrow a dollar. When the soldier reached for his wallet, the first punch flew.

The first, tremendous sucker punch laid the victim onto the ground. The other two men joined in, punching and kicking the soldier.

A fourth man comes sprinting into view from the left edge of the video. The new attacker — a man the soldier said he had walked past earlier — joined in the beating.

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The victim was not able to tell police much more: they’re all in their late teens to early 20’s. Two were black men with an average build, police said. One attacker was possibly Hispanic, also with an average build. The fourth man was also black, but with a heavier build.

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