Four young men have been arrested after a 19-year-old with a physical disability was allegedly beaten for as long as 30 to 40 minutes during a bonfire gathering at Florida’s Tiger Bay State Forest. Investigators say the attack was recorded and shared on Snapchat — and the man accused of filming it is among those facing felony charges.
The case has drawn national attention after Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood condemned the alleged assault and criticized the decision to record the violence instead of helping. “You have a duty to intervene, but you want to be a cameraman,” Chitwood said, according to local reporting.
Content note: This article discusses an alleged violent assault. We are not reproducing the graphic footage.
What happened at the Florida bonfire?
According to investigators and local news reports citing arrest documents, the incident happened during a bonfire gathering in Tiger Bay State Forest in Volusia County, west of Daytona Beach, during the night of October 22 and early morning of October 23, 2026.
The 19-year-old victim attended with a friend and reportedly did not know many of the people at the gathering. He was sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck when two men allegedly approached him. The encounter escalated into a prolonged assault. Investigators say the victim was punched, kicked, slapped and placed in a chokehold.
The victim told investigators the beating lasted approximately 30 to 40 minutes. The sheriff described him as having significant physical disabilities, including limited use of one arm. Authorities say he suffered a concussion and bruising.
The state forest is a large natural area west of Daytona Beach. The Florida Forest Service says it spans more than 28,000 acres and includes pine flatwoods, wetlands and several access points along U.S. 92. Authorities have not identified a precise spot within the forest where the gathering took place.
Four suspects arrested — including the alleged cameraman
The four people arrested are Cody Stripling, 18; Sebastian Bowers, 19; Logan Levesque, 18; and Casey Knight, 19, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and local reporting.
Stripling and Bowers were arrested first, on October 31. Deputies later arrested Levesque and Knight, with the additional arrests announced on November 5. Authorities identified Knight as the person accused of recording the attack. Reports say the footage circulated on Snapchat.
The person accused of filming was not simply overlooked as a bystander: he was arrested and faces the same reported charges as the other three suspects. The sheriff’s comments focused on the decision to record and share the attack rather than help the victim.
As of the latest local reports published November 5 and 6, all four were being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond. Custody and court information can change as a case moves through the system.
Booking-photo source: FOX 35 Orlando’s November 5 report displays the four booking photos and credits them to the Volusia County Corrections inmate search. The county’s own inmate-search disclaimer restricts online republication of material from that portal, so we are not copying those portraits into our media library. You can view the unaltered, unblurred faces in the FOX 35 report and check the official Volusia County inmate search.
FOX 35’s November 5 press conference video provides original footage of Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s public update after all four arrests. It is placed here as case-specific visual material; it is not the graphic assault recording.
What charges do the four Florida suspects face?
Local reports citing booking and arrest records list three felony charges for each suspect: aggravated abuse of a disabled adult, aggravated battery, and battery by strangulation. The exact wording of charge descriptions varies slightly between reports and booking records.
These are criminal allegations, not convictions. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The court process will determine the evidence and each person’s individual role.
What allegedly led to the attack?
Investigators have described a dispute involving a woman who was also at the gathering. Reports say the suspects claimed the victim made a comment about her. A friend reportedly told investigators he was later given an explanation involving an alleged insult and unwanted contact.
Those accounts describe what people allegedly told investigators; they are not established findings about what happened. Regardless of the claimed disagreement, it does not justify a group assault. Authorities say the victim’s friend eventually returned, intervened and helped get him away from the group.
Sheriff’s response: “You have a duty to intervene”
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood publicly condemned the attack and the decision to film it. He said the video showed a vulnerable young man being assaulted while people recorded and laughed. His criticism was aimed at the alleged cameraman and the wider failure to stop the violence.
“You have a duty to intervene, but you want to be a cameraman. You want to get clicks and you want to film your punk coward ass friends,” Chitwood said, according to ClickOrlando’s report.
There is an important distinction between preserving evidence and treating an emergency as entertainment. A recording can help investigators document what happened, but it should never replace calling 911 or seeking safe assistance. If you witness an assault, contact emergency services as soon as it is safe, alert others who can help, and do not put yourself in unnecessary danger.
What we know — and what remains unconfirmed
- Location: Tiger Bay State Forest in Volusia County, Florida.
- Incident date: The night of October 22 into the early morning of October 23, 2026.
- Victim: A 19-year-old man with a physical disability, including limited use of one arm.
- Reported duration: Approximately 30 to 40 minutes, according to investigators and the sheriff.
- Arrests: Cody Stripling, Sebastian Bowers, Logan Levesque and Casey Knight.
- Alleged cameraman: Casey Knight, according to local reports citing the sheriff’s office.
- Reported charges: Aggravated abuse of a disabled adult, aggravated battery and battery by strangulation.
- Injuries reported: A concussion and bruising.
- 911 claim: The reports reviewed establish that the attack was filmed and that the sheriff criticized the lack of intervention. They do not establish that the person accused of filming personally refused to call 911.
The bigger issue: when filming replaces helping
Phones can document crimes, preserve evidence and help identify suspects. But the presence of a camera does not make a violent emergency less urgent. When someone is being attacked, the first priority should be getting help — not collecting footage for social media.
In this case, the recording became part of the investigation, and the person accused of making it was later arrested. The criminal proceedings will determine what each defendant did and what the evidence proves. For now, the confirmed development is that four people have been arrested after the alleged attack on a disabled 19-year-old at a Florida bonfire.
Sources and further reporting
This article is based on local reporting, official county booking resources and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office public briefing. We have not copied booking photos from the county inmate-search portal because its disclaimer restricts online republication.
- ClickOrlando — Video leads to 4 arrests in Tiger Bay State Forest bonfire beating (Nov. 5, 2026)
- WESH 2 — Two more teens arrested in Volusia County bonfire beating (Nov. 5, 2026)
- WFTV — Group faces felony charges after beating disabled man at forest bonfire (Nov. 5, 2026)
- FOX 35 Orlando — Four suspect booking photos and arrest update (Nov. 5, 2026)
- Volusia County Division of Corrections — Official inmate search
- Florida Forest Service — Tiger Bay State Forest information
Update: Reporting reviewed for this article was current through November 7, 2026. This story may be updated if authorities release additional records or court developments.
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