Police officers in Detroit made an arrest after a widely-circulated video showed a young male beating an elderly man.
The footage showed the white man, identified as 75 years old, being repeatedly punched by a black man who appears to be in his 20s.
The senior home where the incident happened wasn’t aware of the assault until the video started circulating, Detroit Police Chief James Craig told reporters while confirming someone was in custody.
“What our investigation has revealed so far [is] that the nursing home was unaware of an assault, until they saw the video,” he said on Thursday. “We’re still investigating that aspect of the case but there is a suspect in custody.”
The man arrested wasn’t identified but was said to be 20 years old. He’s being held on suspicion of assault and battery.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said officials were “deeply disturbed” upon viewing the video. It said the man accused of assault isn’t an employee of the agency and that the attack “didn’t happen at a department facility.”
Officials at the agency gathered information that helped lead to the man’s arrest.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.
The Epoch Times isn’t linking to or embedding the footage, which is graphic.
Westwood Nursing Center was named as the location of the brutal assault. Investigators are probing another video that appears to show the same man assaulting a woman.
The videos were spread quickly on social media and commented on by a range of figures, including President Donald Trump.
“Is this even possible to believe? Can this be for real? Where is this nursing home, how is the victim doing?” he said on Twitter late Thursday.
In a statement sent to news outlets, Midwest Legal Partners, the law firm representing the center, said it is cooperating with police.
“The safety, health, and well-being of our residents remains a top priority of Westwood. We will continue to monitor the situation,” the statement said.
