Two suspected gang members were arrested in Athens for allegedly beating a rival gang member after investigators identified them from a Facebook video of the incident, police said.

Eddie Bernard Thomas, 28, and Cedric Vonterries Ballard, 24, were charged with aggravated assault, violating the the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and with felony probation violations, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

They attacked an 18-year-old man May 10 and livestreamed the beating on Facebook, police said.

The victim’s girlfriend learned about the beating from a friend who saw the Facebook video, the newspaper reported.

After the girlfriend contacted the victim by phone, he told her he had gone to another apartment complex, according to the newspaper. The girlfriend called 911 from that location.

The victim was mostly incoherent and unable to pass along much information, but police said they obtained a video of the beating.

Read more of the story here.

In other news:

Medical reserve soldiers will spend close to a year in the Middle East.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Southern states saw 13.1% of their U.S.-born, military-age, white males die in the Civil War, compared to 4.9% in Nnorthern states. Headstones are seen in the Confederate soldier section of Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Featured

State senators Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, and RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, fist bump at the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Crossover Day, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com