ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The St. Augustine Police Department released new video Monday that shows a group of people assaulting a city worker in early March.
The assault happened on Cordova Street. Police put out the footage to hold the people involved accountable.
The police department initially released security camera footage several days after the attack, but it wasn’t the best quality.
“We wanted to get this video out because it’s better quality video from the video we posted earlier the month and hoped that someone would recognize a voice, notice someone’s walk. Just something about the individuals involved that could help us identify them,” SAPD spokesperson Dee Brown said.
Brown said they have identified a few people from the group but still need help finding more.
“It’s just a matter of time before charges are put through,” he said.
Disclaimer: Some viewers may find the video disturbing to watch.
Kevin Youngs is the manager at Old City Army Navy, which is a store close to where the incident happened. He said it’s the first time he’s heard of something like this happening in the nearly nine years he’s worked there.
“[It’s] concerning to say the least. I haven’t heard anything like that and to see the video is pretty intense,” Youngs said.
Brown said it’s disturbing to see a group of 18- to 21-year-olds behave this way.
“It’s just unacceptable. And definitely in our community is definitely unacceptable. We just don’t see things like this often. And so we take it seriously. And we will get to the bottom and find everyone that’s involved,” Brown said.
Youngs hopes that police will increase their presence in the area, and he also hopes the people responsible for beating up the city worker will have more empathy in the future.
“I would hope those younger kids that assaulted that city worker would be able to put themselves in the worker’s shoes, maybe because I think we’re missing that. It needs to be a little more of that,” Youngs said.
If you recognize the people in the video, you can contact the Detective’s Division of the St. Augustine Police Department at 904-825-1092.