More arrests expected in assault video case
St. Paul police say more arrests are expected as the investigation into the series of random attacks shown in a YouTube video continues.
Police have already arrested a 17-year-old St. Paul man and a 19-year-old Oakdale man in connection with the apparent assaults.
The video, which surfaced Tuesday on YouTube, shows a group of young men committing a series of minor assaults. The incidents range from pushing children down to knocking down bicyclists, to apparently tackling random pedestrians in the street.
Sgt. Paul Schnell said police have located two of the people who are shown being assaulted on the video, and are in the process of interviewing them.
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Investigators have also spoken with other people who may have been assaulted by the same group, but were not included in the video.
The alleged victims have told police they were assaulted in a similar manner and observed someone videotaping the incident.
Police have also identified several of the locations captured on video. Schnell said many of the incidents appear to have taken place along University Ave. near Lexington Parkway.
Investigators are interviewing other people who may have information about the incidents. Several alleged victims are also being re-interviewed.
Community members contacted police Tuesday morning when they saw the video on YouTube.
Schnell said several investigators routinely monitor the Internet for criminal activity, but that those efforts usually focus on predators looking to engage in sexual activity with minors.
"This is really an unusual occurrence that we would not be routinely out looking for on the Internet," he said.
Given that police have located two apparent victims, Schnell said it is unlikely the video was fabricated.
"There is no doubt about the fact that this is not a hoax," he said. "They targeted individuals that they believed would be unlikely to engage in action against them."
