Federal authorities joined Atlanta police Monday in investigating video footage posted online of an apparent gang-related beating in southwest Atlanta.
The video, posted on YouTube and the website for WorldHipHop.com and reported by online news site The Smoking Gun, shows three men attacking a man they claim to be gay coming from a grocery store on McDaniel Street.
One of the alleged assailants shouts a derogatory term for gays as he attacks the victim.
In a prepared statement emailed to the media Monday night, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, "Along with the Atlanta Police Department, we are working to determine if the actions portrayed in the video violate federal law, including the hate crime statute.
"The actions depicted in the video are appalling and unacceptable in our community, and we encourage anyone with information about this video to contact the FBI or Atlanta Police," Yates said.
YouTube removed the video on Monday, citing it violates the website's policy against violence.
In the video, the victim appears to be talking on his cell phone as he emerges from the store, and rounds a corner into an apparent ambush.
Three assailants swarm the man, punching and kicking him repeatedly. When the man falls to the ground, someone grabs a car tire and strikes him with it.
Atlanta police say they were made aware of the video by the media, but weren't able to determine Monday when the footage was shot and whether anyone had filed a report.
"We encourage the victim to come forward to discuss the incident with investigators," police spokesman Carlos Campos said in a statement. "The Atlanta Police Department is working to determine more about the attack depicted on this video, including attempting to identify the victim and the perpetrators."
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident shown in the video to call Zone 3 police officers at 404-624-0674 or to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477.
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