Three men were arrested after brutally beating up an 18-year-old man at “Rock the South” country music festival in Alabama on Saturday night.
Reid Watts suffered a fractured nose, concussion, and “knots the size of softballs on the back of his head” after he was attacked by a group of men when one of them accused Watts of spilling his drink on him, according to a post on his mother Kaci Howard’s Facebook.
However, Watts did not have a drink on him.
“I talked to him and shook his hand because I thought everything was okay because I explained to him it wasn’t me,” Watts told WBMA. “Then a few minutes later, I was walking back and got hit in the back of the head, then I hit the ground and tried to cover my face, then I got knocked out, and that was really all I remember.”
Watts’s girlfriend stood by helplessly as the group of men, described as “30 to 40 years old,” shoved and pushed Watts around. A video shows Watts’s legs stop moving — indicating that he lost consciousness — while one of the men continues to throw punches on top of him.
WATCH the video below:
Chase Brown stepped in to help Watts while his girlfriend recorded the scene, ABC3340 reported.
“I was thinking maybe if it was my little brother or one of my friends. I would hope someone would do the same. It was just so many people standing around watching,” said Brown.
The music festival organizers worked with Cullman Police Authorities and asked festivalgoers to share any photos of and information about the attack.
“We’ve always been about community,” the festival said on Instagram. “We are proud of how our fans have come together like never before. Thank you, RTS Family, for your great work.”
Authorities announced during Wednesday’s press conference that suspects William Joseph Vinson Jr., 20, Chance Marcus Allen Starling, 20, and Zachary Scott Taylor, 21, were charged with second-degree assault, ABC3340 reported.
From left to right: William Joseph Vinson Jr., 20, Chance Marcus Allen Starling, 20, and Zachary Scott Taylor, 21
As for Watts, he has since been released from the hospital and is healing.
“I’m all right, and it could’ve been a lot worse,” Watts said.
