LOS ANGELES ? Police arrested a pair of 19-year-old men Tuesday for investigation of attempted murder in connection with a baseball bat attack on two homeless men allegedly inspired by a video, officials said.
William Orantes and Justin Brumfield, both of Inglewood, told officers that they had recently seen the DVD "Bumfights," which features homeless people fighting each other, and wanted to do some "bum bashing" of their own, said police spokesman Officer Jason Lee.
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The first victim, Gerald McHenry, 38, told authorities he was attacked about 2 a.m. Tuesday while sleeping on a downtown sidewalk.
A private security guard about 90 minutes later saw two men beating another homeless man, Ernest Adams, with a bat, police said. The guard followed the suspects and Los Angeles police officers stopped them.
Police recovered two aluminum bats and a replica firearm from their vehicle, Lee said.
Adams was listed in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with severe head trauma, Lee said. McHenry was treated and released, he said.
Orantes and Brumfield remained in custody Tuesday night with bail set at $500,000, Lee said.
Two Las Vegas residents who produced the "Bumfights" videos were sentenced to 180 days in jail in February for failing to complete community service. They pleaded guilty in June 2003 to misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to stage an illegal fight for their videos. Two other "Bumfights" producers also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and were sentenced to community service.
Police Chief William Bratton called the producers of the DVD "mental midgets."
"That's the shame of it ... that we as a society allow these kinds of things be promulgated," Bratton said.
William Orantes and Justin Brumfield, both of Inglewood, told officers that they had recently seen the DVD "Bumfights," which features homeless people fighting each other, and wanted to do some "bum bashing" of their own, said police spokesman Officer Jason Lee.
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The first victim, Gerald McHenry, 38, told authorities he was attacked about 2 a.m. Tuesday while sleeping on a downtown sidewalk.
A private security guard about 90 minutes later saw two men beating another homeless man, Ernest Adams, with a bat, police said. The guard followed the suspects and Los Angeles police officers stopped them.
Police recovered two aluminum bats and a replica firearm from their vehicle, Lee said.
Adams was listed in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with severe head trauma, Lee said. McHenry was treated and released, he said.
Orantes and Brumfield remained in custody Tuesday night with bail set at $500,000, Lee said.
Two Las Vegas residents who produced the "Bumfights" videos were sentenced to 180 days in jail in February for failing to complete community service. They pleaded guilty in June 2003 to misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to stage an illegal fight for their videos. Two other "Bumfights" producers also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and were sentenced to community service.
Police Chief William Bratton called the producers of the DVD "mental midgets."
"That's the shame of it ... that we as a society allow these kinds of things be promulgated," Bratton said.
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