Daytona – A Daytona man is calling for the arrest of a group of men who were caught on video beating him at a gas station while he was dressed as a woman.
William Jackson, the victim, said it started when he broke up a fight that his girlfriends had with other another group of girls. Thirty minutes later, a group of men beat him up at the Citgo on International Speedway Boulevard. Jackson said he wants the men found and arrested. As of press time, Daytona police said there have been no arrests in the case.
The video, which was posted on Facebook, shows a group of men punching and kicking Jackson, who was wearing a white and black dress in the video, near the gas pump in front of the convenience store.
The police report said one of the attackers used an offensive term for gays before beating Jackson up. Jackson was able to identify one of the men who attacked him, and other attackers may have commented on the video posted online.
Daytona Beach Chief Michael Chitwood said there is not enough evidence to declare the attack a hate crime, but it could rise to that level. Two suspects have been identified by investigators and possibly face battery charges.
“The victim is dressed like a woman, you know, and if that’s the reason why the victim was beaten, I believe charges should be warranted much higher than that,” Chitwood said to WFTV Local 9.
Despite being bruised and having a black eye, Jackson he feels more emotionally hurt and disconnected than physically, and he hopes this can serve to other people like himself so it doesn’t occur to others.
“My message to, you know, people who are like me and have been in this position, is I understand it,” Jackson told WFTV Local 9. “I get it and you know you have to be strong being when you are a different kind of person.”
