Man charged in New Jersey taped beating pleads not guilty

NEWARK (WABC) -- The second of three men charged with whipping a 21-year-old Newark man in an attack shown on YouTube has pleaded not guilty.

Raheem Clark appeared on closed-circuit television from jail in state court in Newark on Friday.

The 31-year-old's attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to aggravated assault, robbery, weapons offenses and conspiracy. The Star-Ledger of Newark (http://bit.ly/YkqCJb ) reports his bail was continued at $100,000.

On Thursday, alleged co-conspirator Jamaar Gray pleaded not guilty.

The third defendant is expected to be arraigned next week.

The video of the attack drew about 40,000 views on YouTube.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker called the beating a "human tragedy" and while Newark police made three arrests, the mayor said it was "unacceptable behavior."

"We do not tolerate this viciousness. We do not tolerate this kind of evil in our community," Booker said.

That evil that Booker refers to spilled out for all to witness in a vicious beating of a young man stripped of his clothes and whipped with a belt. All of it was recorded and put out on the internet, leading to a call to Newark police, and now the arrest of these three men and the discovery of a reluctant victim.

"He didn't report this when it took place, like the mayor indicated, and that was out of fear of the individuals that did this to him," Newark police director Samuel DeMaio said.

In much of the video, which was too graphic to show, police say Ahmad Holt is the man who was behind the vicious beating, wildly swinging away at the victim. Gray allegedly took the video. Investigators believe Clark supplied the belt that was used in what is described as a dispute over a measly $20.

Authorities determined the crime took place in Newark because of all the comments posted on the video, and the subsequent investigation led to the arrests.

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