An elderly Sikh man was seriously injured after being assaulted and left by roadside in Smethwick a town in England's West Midlands region and the incident has drawn widespread attention after a video showing the injured man began circulating on social media.
According to information released by West Midlands Police the incident took place on the night of June 14. The elderly man was later found lying near bushes and a pile of rubbish on roadside where he appeared to be badly injured and was unable to communicate properly.
The video shows the man lying on ground with torn clothes and visible injuries and blood can also be seen coming from his head and he appears to be in significant pain, in the footage several bystanders gather around him and try to assess his condition while the injured man struggles to respond and even slight movement appears to cause him discomfort.
People at scene can be heard expressing concern about his condition and some bystanders even attempt to speak to him and help him sit up but his injuries make movement difficult and seeing the seriousness of the situation those present contacted emergency services and requested both an ambulance and police assistance.
The video also captures conversations among people at the scene and some individuals speculate that the elderly man may have been brutally assaulted before being abandoned. Others mention seeing marks on his body that they believed could be burn injuries and bystanders claimed there were burn-like marks on his back raising concerns that an attempt may have been made to set him on fire.
Police officers later arrived at the scene and began assessing the situation and the video shows officers sitting beside injured man and trying to communicate with him and one officer can be heard asking whether the man could hear him. Emergency responders also attended the scene as authorities began gathering information about what had happened.
West Midlands Police have confirmed that an investigation is underway and according to police early findings indicate that the elderly man was assaulted and investigators are also examining evidence suggesting that an attempt may have been made to set him on fire.
As part of the investigation police have arrested two 17-year-old youths and authorities have not released further details about the suspects because they are minors. Police stated that one of the arrested youths has already appeared before a court and following the court appearance the teenager was remanded to a youth detention centre. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 17 while the second 17-year-old suspect has also been taken into custody.
Police said questioning is continuing as investigators examine all available evidence and circumstances surrounding the attack and authorities have stressed that the investigation remains active. Detectives are working to establish exactly what happened and to determine the motive behind the assault and police have stated that they are exploring every possible angle as part of their inquiries meanwhile the condition of the elderly man has not been detailed in the information released so far and the investigation by West Midlands Police is continuing.