TAMPA, Florida - The attack is almost too painful to watch.
The beating is brutal and swift. It happens in a matter of seconds, and the young man struggling on the ground is an American soldier, beaten at the hands of four unidentified men.
The 24-year-old is beaten so severely that he can't even stand up when the agonizing attack is finished and the men run away.
The victim has only been in Tampa less than a month.
The beating was caught on a nearby surveillance video in a South Tampa neighborhood around 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning as Johnny Aparico was walking home.
The attack happened just feet away from the exclusive Westshore Yacht Club.
The manager of the Green Oaks Apartments, where the young man lives, was sickened by what she saw. "I was horrified," said Pat Chumley. "I couldn't believe how bad it looked."
The 24-year-old is stationed at MacDill Air Force Base and arrived from Georgia, sources say, with only the belongings in his car.
Chumley and her friends are working to get some furniture for the soldier since he doesn't even have a bed, they say.
If you watch the surveillance video closely, just seconds before the attack, three men are seen walking ahead of the soldier. Then, one of them walks back and hits the young man in the face. As the soldier falls to the ground, more men join in on the brutal beating. In fact, another person comes running down the street and joins in.
Tampa Police Lt. Mary O'Connor told 10 News, "It's shocking. We need to find out who these individuals are."
The young soldier was beaten, kicked, punched, and left in the street. His wallet and phone were stolen. He eventually made his way to a nearby home on Iowa Street, begging a woman to call 911. The woman who placed the emergency call declined to comment.
Chumley says that she and her friends have tried to be somewhat of a mother to the young man. She said, "He'll ask advice from us, you know, we love to give advice. You know how mothers are."
They are hoping to help him when he finally gets home for good. "I'm gonna give him a big hug. You know, he's a young kid."