Facebook Live torture video: Four people charged with hate crime for abusing mentally disabled teenager

The perpetrators face multiple charges including aggravated kidnapping and battery with a deadly weapon

The suspects went to school with the victim, said police (Facebook)

Four people have been charged for the abuse and torture of a mentally disabled teenager which was streamed on Facebook Live.

The four youths from Chicago cut the man’s scalp with a knife, repeatedly punched and kicked him, forced him to drink toilet water and yelled profanities including “F*** Donald Trump”.

Three eighteen-year-olds - Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper and Brittany Covington - and one 24-year-old, Tanishia Covington, went to school with the victim.

They were charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Hill faces additional charges of robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and residential burglary, the latter charge also faced by Cooper and Brittany.

The victim was reported missing by his parents in the Chicago suburbs of Streamwood earlier this week. The video on Facebook Live showed the 18-year-old to be crouched in the corner of a room, tied up with tape over his mouth.

The 28-minute video captures a woman’s incoherent rambling, while two men cut up the victim’s clothes on his body, punch him, kick him in the head and cut his scalp.

One voice can be heard shouting “F*** white people” and “F*** Donald Trump”.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the day before charges were brought, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmo said they believe the victim was targeted due to his special needs and not his race, which was the reason for the charge of a hate crime.

“[…] we do not believe the victim was targeted because of his race or because of a political affiliation,” he said.

Police declined to comment on the race of the perpetrators, who appeared to be black, and the victim, who appeared to be white.

They also said there were no links to Black Lives Matter, the movement which shone a spotlight on police injustice against people of colour, despite rumours to the contrary on social media.

Police superintendent Eddie Johnson said the video was “sickening”.

The victim was found walking around the streets dressed in a pair of shorts on Tuesday evening.

Police believe he was attacked about a block away from his home.

His parents said they received text messages earlier this week from someone claiming they were holding their son captive.

The victim is said to be "traumatised" and was taken to hospital.

The suspects gave videotaped statements and will appear in court on Friday.