Five teenage boys are charged after a 16-year-old special education student was beaten at a bus stop outside Anderson High School on Dec.19.
Marques Berry, Perminder Klair, and Donovan Chapman are charged with assault and engaging in criminal activity. The 18-year-olds could face two years in prison. The two juveniles are being held in a Travis County juvenile detention center. Bond is set at $15,000.
Several other students who witnessed the attack without intervening may face disciplinary action at Anderson High School.
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Videotaped beating
News 8 Austin's Antonio Castelan talked to Anderson High School students
 
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While some adhere to the "bullies will be bullies" adage, this incident has sparked community interest because the attackers videotaped the assault.
"I was really surprised at the nature of the tape. It is more of a mean or cruel type of crime to inflict harm and humility on the victim," said Detective Scott Stanfield.
Austin police said few criminals have been caught recording their own crime. Detective Stanfield has noticed the camcorder's presence in popular culture.
"I've see it on TV shows where they've gotten tapes of people videotaping their crimes," he said.
Elizabeth Vandewater, an assistant professor at UT, researches how the media affects children. She said there is no solid research on why teenagers would record a crime.
"These kids had decided they were going to do something violent. They thought it would be cool to tape it," she said.
Vandewater believes many of the self-shot video movies like "Jackass" and reality TV shows have desensitized children into believing violence done to others is funny.
"If parents talk to kids on how that is inappropriate and that was really harmful, they can change the impact that the media has on their kids," she said.
Police and academics draw the same lesson from the assault outside Anderson High School. Videotape adds another dimension of cruelty to already cruel acts.
