Arlington teens arrested for making fight video

Can anyone out there with some legal knowledge tell me why exactly it is illegal to produce or distribute such a video? Seems strange, and was wondering if there was precedent for this.



http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9196816/detail.html

Teens Arrested In Connection With 'Fight Club' Video
Four Teens Charged With Felonies In Connection With Video

POSTED: 8:31 am CDT May 11, 2006




ARLINGTON, Texas -- A controversial videotape being sold on the Internet has landed four Arlington teens in jail on felony charges.

The graphic video shows severe beatings that were taped in Arlington neighborhoods and near schools. The DVD, Agg Townz Fights 2, runs for around two hours and shows crowds, men and women, ganging up on innocent victims.

Among the scenes in the video, complete with a rap-music sound track, are girls punching each other, a boy hitting a girl who falls down and two boys who shake hands after bare-fisted boxing. In one scene a teen lies still after hitting his head on the curb, leaving a trail of blood, but is then helped off the ground.

"It doesn't make sense to you and I that somebody would do this," said James Hawthorne with the Arlington Police Department. "These kids see it as entertainment, but these are real fights, whether they're willing combatants or not, and people are getting seriously injured."


Arlington police discovered the video after the severe beating of Kevin Walker, 16, outside of his grandmother's home last March near Seguin High School.

Police say they have worked with several schools to identify some of the brawling teens, including some as young as 14, but so far none want to press charges because they participated willingly.

Two K104-FM disc jockeys who talk to the camera in the video but were not in any fight scenes are also being investigated, Hawthorne said.

But the radio station employees were taped at a music convention -- not where any teens were fighting -- and thought they were commenting on a contest between two rappers, said Ken Dowe, chief operating officer for Service Broadcasting, which owns the station. He said they knew nothing about the fights or the type of DVD being made.

"We haven't done anything," Dowe said, adding that the station may take legal action against the police or city.

"We've got to take strong discipline in our schools. We do not allow fighting," said Dr. Max Bernd, Arlington Independent School District Superintendent.

Most fights in the video are during the day and begin with two boys, and then others in the crowd start hitting and kicking one teen after he falls down. Some in the crowd can be seen recording the violence on their cell phones or small video cameras. The video, which refers to teens' nickname for Arlington, was sold on the Internet for $15 to $20; police don't know how many copies were sold.

The overwhelming majority of those fighting and watching are black, but race does not seem to be a factor even when the fights are between a black teen and white or Hispanic teen, Hawthorne said. Police believe people are on the video because they are the suspects' friends and acquaintances.

"It's not necessarily gangsters or gang members involved, and that's the most frightening part: These are just regular kids," Hawthorne said.

School, church and community leaders, including those from the NAACP, say they are appalled and have vowed to help police stop the trend by encouraging parents to pay more attention to their kids' cell and camera phone use, publicizing the penalties for fighting or watching and having more youth activities.

"They need to pray and communicate this issue to their congregations, especially the youths," said the Rev. Thomas Schlueter, pastor of Prince of Peace Church. "I think the church can help stem the tide."

Some witnesses said some in the crowd recorded the beating, and when officers searched a suspect's computer they found images of that fight, which apparently was to be part of the upcoming "Agg Townz Fights III," Hawthorne said. As part of the investigation, they discovered the two-hour "Part II" video but have not yet obtained the first one.

One of two fights shown outside a school is broken up by two school-based officers, and in a few others the crowd scatters as a police car arrives. But authorities were never called to many fights, Hawthorne said.

Police are urging teens who see fights to report them immediately. Those caught watching will be taken to jail and charged as accomplices for fighting in public, and those fighting and videotaping will be jailed on charges of fighting in public, disorderly conduct or engaging in organized crime, Hawthorne said.

"If you're fighting, it's zero tolerance; if you're watching, zero tolerance; if you're filming, zero tolerance," Hawthorne said. "We're not going to be writing tickets anymore; we're going to take these people to jail. We believe we have to take that strong of a stance."

Investigators arrested the video's producer, Michael G. Jackson, 18, who said he never staged any of the fights but freely admitted to NBC 5 on camera that he shot the video and sold it on the Internet. Along with Jackson, police arrested Duente Lamar Gaines, 17, John Barree, 18, and a 14-year-old juvenile.

All four were charged with felonies on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and aggravated assault.

Walker said even though Jackson videotaped his beating, he doesn't place any of the blame on him or hold a grudge.

"He ain't even do nothing, he just filmed it," Walker said.

Jackson is currently free after posting $25,000 bond.