Men arrested for tramp fight film

Four men who made a best-selling exploitation video of homeless men fighting, setting their hair on fire, and smashing their heads into doors and windows faced criminal charges of incitement to violence yesterday.

Four men who made a best-selling exploitation video of homeless men fighting, setting their hair on fire, and smashing their heads into doors and windows faced criminal charges of incitement to violence yesterday.

The film, called Bumfights: A Cause for Concern, has sold more than 300,000 copies over the internet since it went on sale in April, becoming a sensation on tabloid TV shows. It depicts one man pulling out one of his front teeth with a pair of pliers, and another flying out of control in a shopping trolley down a steep hill. One man, nicknamed Rufus the Stunt Bum, specialises in smashing his head into steel doors or sheets of glass.

The police investigation began after a homeless man broke his ankle in a fight in San Diego in February. The authorities say that when a squad car arrived on the scene, officers saw a man filming the fight.

Ryan McPherson, 19, was arrested two weeks ago. Zachary Bubeck, 24, turned himself in on Monday, and the other two defendants, Daniel Tanner and Michael Slyman, both 21, were expected to surrender yesterday.