How Facebook Live Works: Beating Video Shows Chicago Suspects Attacking Victim

Four suspects were arrested by Chicago Police Wednesday after they used Facebook Live, a recently debuted feature from the social media giant, to record themselves torturing a man. A woman posted the 30-minute video of her and three others beating and harassing the man to her personal Facebook page.

“I’ve been a cop for 28 years and I’ve seen things that you shouldn’t see in a lifetime,” said Supt. Eddie Johnson of the Chicago Police Department in a press conference Wednesday. “But it still amazes me how you still see things that you just shouldn’t.”

The video was found by Chicago police on Facebook and ultimately sparked the investigation for the attackers. Facebook Live, the platform used, launched in August 2015 and allows users to post videos to the social media site in real time. Friends on Facebook can then react to the video as it is streamed. The live video is subsequently published to the person’s Facebook page when they’re finished recording so others can view it at a later time.

Tools are available to report inflammatory content being streamed via Facebook Live. Anything found to violate the social media site’s community standards is taken down, as the video of the attack eventually was.

“We do not allow people to celebrate or glorify crimes on Facebook and have removed the original video for this reason,” Facebook confirmed to CNN. “In many instances, though, when people share this type of content, they are doing so to condemn violence or raise awareness about it. In that case, the video would be allowed.”

The Facebook Live video shows the young man, an 18-year-old with special needs, tied up in the corner of a room with his mouth covered while being punched and kicked. His attackers are heard shouting “F--- Donald Trump,” and “F--- white people.” Another portion of the video shows someone using a knife to cut his scalp and his clothing.

The suspects and the victim have not been identified.