A father who beat a 16-year-old boy in a YouTube video, smashing his face
until his teeth broke through, is facing years in jail.
Gary Johnson of Palm Bay, Florida fainted moments after his verdict was read in court Friday, finding him guilty of battery, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disorderly conduct.
Johnson, 35, faces up to 57 years in prison though he's expected by prosecutors and his defense to see 10.
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The video posted to YouTube last August shows Johnson at 6ft, 5in and 220
pounds towering over the 16-year-old boy who leans toward him defensively in
Johnson's backyard.
After refereeing a fistfight that Johnson's son, not shown in the video,
lost in, Johnson stood up to his son's competitor for his own match.
'I was all adrenalin-ed up,' said the injured teen in court Friday, according to My Fox Orlando.
Johnson's defence argued that the teen provoked him after bumping chests
with him and offering some engaging words.
'You uttered a challenge to him,' a prosecutor repeated to the teen in court Friday.
'Yes sir,' he replied.
'Your response to that, when he pushed you away, you didn't back off again?'
'No,' the teen answered.
In the video the two defensively stand face-to-face with both individual's muscles clenched.
After the first shove of the teen into Johnson, he fires back at the boy knocking him to the ground.
Johnson repeatedly punches the boy in the face, occasionally pausing in what
looks like effort to turn him back facing him before striking again.
The teen says he remembers falling to the ground and being hit by Johnson but blacked out after that.
'I had a split eyebrow, and my teeth were pushed back,' the teen said. 'The inside of my lip was tore, well my teeth were penetrated through my lip, and the front of my teeth still now are numbed.'
Gary Johnson of Palm Bay, Florida fainted moments after his verdict was read in court Friday, finding him guilty of battery, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disorderly conduct.
Johnson, 35, faces up to 57 years in prison though he's expected by prosecutors and his defense to see 10.
Scroll down for video
Guilty: Gary Johnson, 35, was found guilty of
four counts related to a backyard beating of a 16-year-old that went
viral on YouTube last summer
'I was all adrenalin-ed up,' said the injured teen in court Friday, according to My Fox Orlando.
Charges: Johnson fainted moments after his
verdict was read in court, finding him guilty of battery, child abuse,
contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disorderly conduct
'You uttered a challenge to him,' a prosecutor repeated to the teen in court Friday.
'Yes sir,' he replied.
Argument: Johnson's defense argued the teen had
chosen to challenge him, despite their age and size difference, that
ultimately faces Johnson with a possible 57-year prison sentence
Scene: The two engaged following a fight between
the 16-year-old and Johnson's son in the Florida backyard which the
teen had won
Beating: Johnson appeared relentless in the attack, continually beating the teen in the face after he had crumpled to the floor
'No,' the teen answered.
In the video the two defensively stand face-to-face with both individual's muscles clenched.
After the first shove of the teen into Johnson, he fires back at the boy knocking him to the ground.
Injuries: The teen, seen here in court but not
identified, said he blacked out during the beating waking to a split
eyebrow and his teeth pushed back with some through his lip
The teen says he remembers falling to the ground and being hit by Johnson but blacked out after that.
'I had a split eyebrow, and my teeth were pushed back,' the teen said. 'The inside of my lip was tore, well my teeth were penetrated through my lip, and the front of my teeth still now are numbed.'
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