YORK COUNTY, S.C.,None — Five men were arrested by York County deputies Friday in connection to an attack that was captured on surveillance camera outside a convenience store earlier this month.
Bobby Wilson, Cortezio Douglas, Lajames Mitchell, Darenco Wilmore and Lortarius Duncan were all arrested and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Deputies said Wilson hit 19-year-old Joshua Esskew on the head with a bottle.
The other four men also face charges.
"The suspects in this crime have been identified and are being brought to justice due to cooperation between law enforcement and the willingness of the public to get involved and not let this violent crime go unpunished," said York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant.
WATCH: 5 Arrested, Charged In Beating Of Gay Teen
According to Esskew, he was attacked after someone shouted a gay slur at him. Esskew thinks the attack was a hate crime because he is gay.
Esskew said the last two weeks of his life have been frightening, but he is relieved the men who deputies say are responsible for his attack are in jail.
"I'm so excited about it, it take a lot off me," he said.
The night of the attack, when Esskew and friend Daneshia Reid pulled up to the convenience store, Reid thought his friend was still in the store during the attack.
He found Esskew on the ground badly hurt.
"I found Josh on the sidewalk all busted and bruised up, and bloody, and I didn't really know what to think," Reid said.
Deputies said they began making arrests earlier this week after getting more than a dozen tips from the public. The last suspect turned himself in to police around noon Friday.
All five suspects are from the York area.
"This is one we couldn't have solved without the help from the public," said detective Mike Baker. "The surveillance video proved extremely helpful in making these arrests."
Esskew believed there are three more suspects on the loose, but deputies said they have arrested everyone involved in the attack.
If convicted, the suspects could face up to 20 years in prison.
"It doesn't make me feel good because this is someone losing their freedom, but it didn't feel good to me either, what I had to go through," Esskew said.
The York County Sheriff's Office has turned over the investigation into whether the attack was a hate crime to the FBI, which will present its evidence to the Department of Justice. It still remains unknown if the crime will be prosecuted under federal hate crime laws.
South Carolina does not have a specific hate crime law.
Previous Stories: April 19, 2011: Beating Victim: 'This Was A Hate Crime' April 19, 2011: FBI Joins Investigation Of Attack On Teen
WSOC
