Prosecutors filed hate crime and aggravated kidnapping charges Thursday against four black suspects accused of beating and taunting a white man during an attack streamed live on Facebook — acts former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik called "barbaric."
"I think it's sickening," Kerik told Newsmax TV host J.D. Hayworth on "Newsmax Prime" in an interview. "I think it's barbaric.
"Anybody who watches that video, if you don't get sick to your stomach, then there's something wrong with you.
"You wouldn't want that done to any child, anywhere in this country regardless of color."
See J.D. Hayworth on Newsmax TV: Tune in beginning at 8 PM ET to see "Newsmax Prime" — on FiOS 615, YouTube Livestream, Newsmax TV App from any smartphone, NewsmaxTV.com, Roku, Amazon Fire — More Systems Here
"It's just a barbaric, brutal, and graphic attack on a young man for nothing," Kerik said.
"These aren't young kids who made a mistake," he told Hayworth. "These aren't kids that did something stupid.
"These are evil-minded young men and women who went out and committed a heinous crime and should be held accountable at the harshest levels."
Kerik is author of "From Jailer to Jailed: My Journey from Correction and Police Commissioner to Inmate #84888-054."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.