Video shows beating of teen in Eastpointe

Police no longer believe video shows abduction

EASTPOINTE, Mich. – Police no longer believe a teen who is seen on video being beaten at a gas station in Eastpointe was abducted, they announced Monday night. Officials previously said they believed the teen was in extreme danger.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. Monday at the Sunoco gas station at Gratiot Avenue and Stevens Road.

Police said they didn't receive a phone call about the incident, but a witness inside the gas station saw what happened.

The man in the video is 16 or 17 years old. A burgundy-colored Dodge pickup truck pulled up to him as he was walking across the parking lot. Someone got out of the truck and assaulted the teen. The video shows that two more people -- a black man in his 40s and a black woman in her 40s -- got out of the truck and forced the teen into the truck.

Eastpointe police said it's not clear exactly what's happening in the video, but they no longer believe it was a kidnapping or abduction.

"The witness said that there was no screaming for help," Eastpointe Deputy Police Chief Eric Keiser said. "It didn't appear that the victim made a real difficult effort to get away, so it's really, really confusing and we just want to talk to these people to make sure this person's OK."

Police contacted the FBI to make sure the case isn't more severe than they originally thought.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.


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Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.