Social media video appears to show torture of man in Chicago

Police say formal charges are expected to be filed Thursday against four suspects in connection with a half-hour video, which exploded on social media, that  appears to show at least one black man torturing and taunting a white man and making disparaging remarks about President-elect Donald Trump.

The video was initially posted via Facebook Live under the account of someone named Brittany Herring and spread quickly via Twitter and under the hashtag #BLMKidnapping.

BLM is an apparent reference to the social justice group Black Lives Matter, which did not appear to have any connection to the video.

The video, linked to here, includes raw language.

Police Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said Wednesday that charges were expected to be filed within 24 hours. Duffin added that the suspects made "stupid decisions."

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday that four suspects were in custody.

Police said in a statement that the victim was in stable condition and they believe he is from a Chicago suburb.

Johnson, who called the video  "sickening," says the victim, who has "mental health challenges," is recovering.

In an earlier statement, Chicago police said officers were called to a residence on the city's West Side Tuesday evening where they found signs of a struggle and damaged property.

Officers said they later became aware of the video circulating on social media.

Police say it is too soon to make a determination if the attack was racially motivated.

Many social media users, however, likened the incident to a hate crime and said race was the motivating factor.

Herring did not immediately respond to a message sent to her via Facebook inbox.

In the earlier statement, Chicago police said they spotted a disoriented male on the street and took him to a hospital in stable condition. They believe he is the same person seen being tortured in the video, tied up and sitting in a corner.

In the video, a male is seen slicing open the victim's jacket sleeve and also fingering a bleeding wound on the top of his head. A woman in the video laughs at the activity during the video.

Investigators will "determine whether or not this is sincere or just stupid ranting and raving," Duffin said when asked about the language used in the recording.

Contributing: The Associated Press