Video: Black Male arrested in near beating death of White Male in Alabama

Here is an update to this story about a group of black adults and children who nearly beat a white man to death near Mobile, AL. Terry Rawls, a black male with a criminal history (assault victim has one as well), was arrested for participating in the beating of Matthew Owens, who is in critical condition.

It looks like the District Attorney in the case is pressing the Feds to look into whether or not a hate crime took place. In contradiction to earlier reports, police are now saying that reports of witnesses who claim they heard members of the mob reference Trayvon Martin, are false and that the high profile Florida case had nothing to do with Owens' beating.

Via WRKG, h/t GWP:

Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich says her office met with the U.S. Attorney, FBI and the police department about the Matthew Owens beating case.

They want the feds to decide whether a hate crime was committed.

Owens was beaten by a mob of 20 people Saturday night across the street from his sister's house on Delmar Drive. Despite witnesses telling News 5 that one of the attackers said "This is justice for Trayvon" after the beating, police say the shooting of the unarmed teenager in Sanford, Florida was not the reason for this attack.

"I can tell you this without a doubt, 100% certainty, that Trayvon Martin was not the motivating factor in this incident," says Cpl. Chris Levy.

Deputy Chief Lester Hargrove says investigators believe only four people, including Terry Rawls, were directly involved. They believe the rest of the mob just watched.

Police say the beating is the result of a three year neighborhood dispute between Rawls and Owens.

As this case has unfolded, it's fair to say that Owens doesn't appear to be anywhere close to being a saint. If reports that he threatened the kids with knives are correct, the case takes on an entirely new dimension. That said, mobs are never the answer and Rawls was rightly arrested. If Owens threatened those kids, he should be arrested as well - after he recovers.

Another fact remains. The racially charged environment created, in part, by the media is not the least bit helpful. It has made people hypersensitive about cases like this one. This story likely would not have gotten the national attention it has, had it not been for what the media, Al Sharpton, et. al. have done with the Trayvon Martin case.