By NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Aug 22, 2008
Updated: Aug 22, 2008

NEW HANOVER COUNTY — *Click on the link in the gray sidebar at right to see surveillance footage of the assault.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY: Wilmington police are trying to identify two suspects caught on surveillance tape beating a homeless man.

The victim was sleeping in the doorway of the Bannerman Station on Walnut Street in downtown Wilmington August 2. Around 2 a.m., two males took $200 from the victim's hand. Then they began assaulting him.

They pulled flowers from planters at the front of the building and threw them on the man, then they jumped on top of him.

A few minutes later, the suspects urinated on the man and one of them tried to defecate on him. They continued to throw plants on him and jump on top of him, landing on him with their knees and elbows.

After bringing two or three other people to the scene to brag about what they had done, the suspects fled the scene and the victim got up and walked away. He was not seriously injured in the assault.

The next day, the owner of the building reported the property damage to police and submitted the surveillance video taken from inside the building's lobby as evidence.

Police believe they know who at least one of the men is, Detective Mike Overton told NC WANTED, but they are asking anyone with information to come forward to confirm that identity. They believe the man is in a punk rock band that tours around North Carolina and that people might recognize him.

The suspects are white males in their early 20s. One has blonde haired and lots of tattoos. The other has brown hair. They were both thin, wearing dark T-shirts and jeans.

The men face charges of common law robbery, assault and property damage. The suspects took video with a camera or cell phone, but that footage has not yet surfaced.

If you have any information about this incident, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.