Austin police are digging into the details of a reported assault from September that occurred in a west Austin H-E-B store after getting tipped off anonymously. The incident happened on September 28, at the HEB on 2652 Lake Austin Blvd, with authorities getting wind of it on October 16 when they received a link to a video on social media platform X, as per CBS Austin. The footage showed a troubling confrontation between a few men and a 66-year-old man, who was later identified by Austin police.
As detailed by CBS Austin, the elder man was making his way out of the grocery store when he was stopped by 3 to 4 individuals. In a shocking act, struck from the back with a pumpkin the size of a basketball, the victim fell. Struggling to get back up, he appeared quite disoriented. In the video, one can hear the group accusing him of trying to meet a minor and hurling the label "pedophile" at him repeatedly, with 29-year-old Jay Cameron Carnicom seen taunting him.
Reviewing the distressing video, APD Detective G. Gallenkamp managed to put names to the faces of the assailants, who seem to be part of a larger contingent that engages in this sort of behavior. MSN reports that the group's modus operandi involves using dating apps like Grindr to target their victims by accusing them of predatory intentions. After the assault, this pattern became a disturbing malware, with the suspects reportedly sending the video to the man's place of work, which led to his firing, and then demanding $400,000 in Bitcoin to keep the footage under wraps.
Detective Gallenkamp believes that Carnicom and the other suspects intended to trap the victim at the H-E-B for public shaming, under the guise of vigilantism. The suspects' actions have steered the inquiry toward multiple persons of interest as the police prepare to press charges. According to the victim, who is still reeling from the pain and injuries endured, he plans on pressing charges of his own after becoming the target following an online conversation with one of the suspects posing as an adult, MSN noted. For anyone with additional information, APD is urging them to come forward and contact them at 512-472-8477.
