A video posted on Facebook has gone viral that shows two young girls fighting in the yard of a Tampa apartment complex.
A 6-year-old Tampa girl was beaten up by her 7-year-old friend. Police say the 14-year-old sister of the young girl throwing the punches recorded the whole thing.
Not long after, it was posted on Facebook for practically anyone to see. In fact, a woman in Atlanta, Georgia alerted Tampa police who then began investigating.
The grandmother and mother of the girl who was beaten, as well as the young child, said they are angry, upset, and still in shock not only about the beating but also about it being posted to Facebook.
The fight, videotaped outside the children's Tampa apartment complex earlier this month, is disturbing to watch.
As the punches are thrown, the 6-year-old pleads with her friend to stop, and the voice of the older girl’s 14-year-old sister can be heard egging it on.
Police also said that the 14-year-old in the video not only encouraged the fight but also recorded the entire incident with a cell phone.
In the meantime, other teens with cell phones can also be seen recording the fight.
"It's an outrageous, disturbing video to watch," said Major Brian Dugan of the Tampa Police Department, who has been working on the case ever since the tipster called in from Georgia.
Detectives went to work with few leads but eventually found everyone in the video, interviewed them, and then turned the case over to the state.
The young girl's family is very upset over the case. The girl's grandmother is taking it especially hard.
"I was upset because knowing she was getting beat-down like that and I was real mad," the grandmother said. "Showing that my granddaughter is getting beat-down on Facebook and then everybody seeing it."
And then referring to the 14-year-old, she said, "She can't be bullying people because that's being bullied."
Investigators are not only disturbed by the violence but also by the fact that none of the older kids stopped the fight, instead posting the video so practically anyone could see it.
"Someone didn't have the decency and common sense to stop this but then to go ahead and post it out on Facebook," said Major Dugan.
Dugan believe this incident is a sad editorial on today’s society.
It is yet another instance where people post things online, regardless of how old they are and not thinking about the consequences of their actions. They’re not thinking about how this video could follow these children for life.
“Every time someone clicks that video, the girl's a victim once more," said Major Dugan.
The girl’s family said that ever since the fight, her other friends have abandoned her and that she feels isolated and basically withdrawn from others.
Now her family can only wonder how this will affect her future.
The girl’s mother and grandmother also told us they believe that the 14-year-old has to face some form of discipline because they believe this is yet another case of bullying.
She believes that teen needs to face the consequences of her actions.
We went to the home of the 7 and 14-year-old girls and no one answered the door.
Tampa police say they are working with the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office to see if any crime has been committed. Police say if there are any charges filed, it would most likely be contributing to the delinquency of a minor.