The Baltimore Police Department is investigating a purported assault on a man who appears to have been hit in the back of the head with a brick, according to local media.
The Baltimore Sun reports:
On Sunday around 6:40 p.m., police responded to the 100 block of Hamburg St. in the Sharp-Leadenhall neighborhood for report of an assault, along with a backup unit. When officers arrived, there was not a victim on the scene, police said. Medics who also canvassed the scene did not locate a victim, according to an incident report.
Officers later observed a “pool of blood” on a sidewalk nearby the area, according to the incident report.
A witness, who refused to give their name or address, told police that the incident stemmed from a “loud argument” between two men, according to the report. One man began to walk away and then the other man picked up two bricks and struck him in the back of the head, the witness said, and then ran away traveling northbound by foot towards the Sharp Leadenhall apartments, according to the incident report.
A video of the incident began circulating on social media as of Monday morning — an Instagram post reacting with laughter, including the hashtags “#WhiteLivesDoNotMatter” and “#BlackLivesMatter.”
“The incident is being investigated, unfortunately the victim left the scene prior to officers arrival and investigators have not been able to locate him,” Baltimore City Police spokesperson Nicole Monroe said in a statement. “Detectives have canvassed all of our area hospitals as well as, conducting a search history for assault calls in case the victim called police to another location.”
City Councilman Eric Costello spoke out against the alleged assault and called on witnesses to come forward.
“It should go without saying that the complete depravity to human life illustrated in this video is absolutely disgusting and should be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Costello said.