Physical, Verbal Abuse In Viral Video Leads Police To Arrest Trio

ATLANTA — Atlanta police took three people into custody Friday after an online video appearing to show them striking a 12-year-old boy, then shaving the word “gay” into his hair, went viral.

Lorkeyla Jamia Spencer, 19, and Brittney Monique Mills, 35, were charged with cruelty to children, and Jordan Jarrode Richards-Nwankwo, 18, was charged with cruelty to children and battery-family violence. Richards-Nwankwo was released Sunday from the Fulton County Jail, while both Spencer and Mills remain behind bars as of Monday afternoon.

The viral video was recorded from an Instagram Live on June 17, later shared by an online publication focused on Black LGBTQ issues. The Atlanta Police Department confirmed to WXIA-TV a few days later that it was investigating the video and that the boy had been placed in state custody.

“The behavior in this social media post was difficult to watch and absolutely unacceptable,” Atlanta police said in a statement Friday. “We are appreciative of the number of people who flagged this case with us and for those who provided information on the location where it took place.”

NBC News reported details of the recorded confrontation, including the physical abuse.

“You think this on the side of your head for no reason, is that what you think?” asked the man seen in the video, according to NBC. The man then was seen slapping the boy hard on the side of his head, then saying “So why you just say that gay a-- s---?”

The exact relationship between those arrested and the victim was redacted from the police report to protect the victim’s privacy, according to the statement.

Read the statement from the Atlanta Police Department.