The Ann Arbor Police Department is now offering a $250 reward for information about the brutal Elm Street beating that left one 19-year-old man in the hospital.
According to eyewitness accounts, the victim was brutally beaten after attempting to drive down the crowded street during the annual Elm Street Halloween block party. The AAPD confirmed that there were between 10 and 15 individuals involved in the beating.
AAPD Lt. Mark St. Amour said the detective assigned to this case has “exhausted all her leads to any suspects.”
“She’s interviewed the victim and is just unable at this point to pinpoint any suspects,” he said.
St. Amour said that though witness interviews held at the scene of the beating did not yield any leads, he expects witnesses still remain because of the sheer volume of people on the street.
“There’s a good chance that someone might recognize or know someone by name,” he said.
St. Amour said any individual who provides any information that leads to a conviction will be awarded the money.
Currently the AAPD hasn’t identified a single suspect, and is encouraging witnesses to come forward. St. Amour said the AAPD also wants anyone who was involved in the beating to “give us their side of the story.”
Anyone with information about the beating is encouraged to contact AAPD at (734) 794-6939 or tips@a2gov.org.
According to a previous Daily article, LSA seniors Brian Barton and Zachary Ward said they captured video footage and photos of the attack on a digital camera. Barton and Ward said they immediately submitted the memory card with the evidence to police at the scene, but that officers later told them the memory card was lost before police could view it.
Barton told the Daily that the memory card contained images of college-aged men jumping on the back of the victim’s vehicle right before he was beaten.
According to AAPD, the officer in possession of the memory card reported that it fell out of his breast pocket when he removed his memo pad at the scene of the beating. St. Amour couldn’t identify which officer lost the memory card.
Though Barton said AAPD told them the memory card was lost before it could be viewed, St. Amour said the evidence was in fact viewed but was immediately determined to be inconclusive because of its poor quality. He said the video and photos were taken on a camera phone, not a digital camera.
“(The officer) did see it but it’s a cell phone camera and it’s nighttime so its not detailed, just a large crowd surrounding the victim.” St. Amour said.