VIDEO: Suspect caught on camera in brutal beating outside DC store

WASHINGTON – D.C. police are investigating a brutal beating outside a U Street stop that was caught on camera and went viral on social media.

The videos were posted on social media platform “X”, formerly Twitter, on Saturday and have garnered more than 500,000 views at the time of writing.

In the videos, a group of people can be seen fighting with at least one person. FOX 5 shared these videos with D.C. police, who confirmed an investigation is ongoing.

According to the police report, the incident was reported around 4 a.m. Saturday in the area of ​​10th Street and U Street, Northwest. According to the police report, the victim was “bleeding profusely from the face.” It also says officers were able to see camera footage of the incident that showed the victim being attacked by multiple people.

“The officers expressed a lookout based on the video footage and shortly thereafter the officers observed [suspect] in the 900 block of U Street NW,” the report states.

The suspect was identified by authorities Monday as 21-year-old Marcus Newman Jr. of Southeast D.C. Newman was charged with simple assault, police said.

In the videos, the incident can be seen outside America’s Best Wingstop on U Street.

A store employee declined to be interviewed on camera Monday, but told FOX 5 that the group had previously caused some sort of disturbance in the store and employees intervened, at which point he said the incident became violent.

Gene Barnett works at a bar on U Street and saw the videos circulating online. Barnett has worked on U Street for about 12 years and said he has noticed changes over the last decade.

“It’s more like, you know, younger people taking to the streets and things like that,” Barnett said. “I would say keep your head down, you know. Basically, you have to be very careful what you say to people, and especially when it’s people drinking and partying on U Street. There are a lot of people who could be overwhelmed.” So stay vigilant. There are people who drink and there might also be young people who don’t know how to manage their alcohol.

Another man said he also saw the videos.

“I feel like it’s crazy, you know?” he said. “I personally don’t know what happened, but for something like this to happen out here is amazing. They’re out here fighting with swords and stuff, it’s so crazy.”

A FOX 5 woman spoke to area plants and called the incident disheartening after seeing the video for the first time.

“My message would be to just try to live in unity with one another. We are all here. We are in a city. Why not live and work together? Just try to be peaceful with each other. It just seems like “The younger generation is getting out of control here in the city,” she said.

The case remains under investigation by the D.C. Police Department.