CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi State Supported Living Center employee accused of "punching, stomping on, and beating" a disabled man with a belt while cursing at him was reported to police after sharing the video with friends on Snapchat.
An arrest warrant was sworn out for Caleb Andrew Gomez on Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit. He was arrested and charged with injury to a disabled individual after a former acquaintance saw the video and called Corpus Christi Police Department officers July 19.
The former acquaintance called officers to the 5900 block of Weber Road, saying they had tried reporting the video to Adult Protective Services, but was referred to police.
It is unknown when the video was made, but when police found the victim at the state-supported living center, they stated he did not have any visible injuries.
At that time, according to the affidavit, it was unknown where the assault had taken place or who the victim was, but the person could be seen laying on a bed wearing what was believed to be underwear. The acquaintance told police he recognized Gomez after he showed his face in the video.
According to the affidavit, the assault reportedly wasn't the first Gomez had committed against the man on the bed.
"Caleb Gomez starts the recording and is heard saying, 'The last video didn't save, B****, so come here again,' " it states.
He then punches the victim four times in the thighs, buttocks, shoulder and face with a closed fist, the statement reads, jumps on their bed and then stomps their hip, shoulder, buttocks, and head, punching the victim once more time.
He then unleashes a tirade of curse words at the victim and grabs a belt to continue the assault.
"Gomez then returns to the victim with a belt in his hand and says, '... Yeah, you' re going to be bruised the f*** up, my N***'...' then strikes the victim three times with the belt; once on the hip and two to the victim's head. . . . The victim does not or is unable to fight back or defend himself."
When police followed up on the complaint at the center, the affidavit states, it was confirmed that Gomez had been employed there since January 2022. He was not working the day police went to the facility.
The affidavit states that officials at the center helped police identify the room, and were eventually able to pinpoint the victim, who officials said has a severe intellectual disability, has an IQ of 28 and has been diagnosed with autism.
The victim's name nor the reporting party's names are not being reported by 3NEWS to protect their identities.
Gomez was arrested by DPS Troopers in San Patricio County on July 22; his bond was set at $75,000. He has since bonded out, CCPD officials said.
Dist. 20 State Senator Juan 'Chuy' Hinojosa said anytime something an attack such as this one is reported, he and other lawmakers are contacted.
Hinojosa said he doesn’t feel this incident will turn out to be like the so-called ‘fight club’ case from 2009, in which some employees would make residents fist-fight each other.
The incident made headlines nationally, with some of those employees ending up in jail.
“This is not a ‘fight club’ that we have similar incidents in the past,” he said. “This is more of an isolated incident of a staff employee just really getting out of hand.”
The investigation is ongoing, CCPD officials said. If you have any information about this crime, you are asked to call the Criminal Investigations Division at 361-886-2840. You may also call Crime Stoppers at 361-888-TIPS or submit the information online at www.p3tips.com/community/index.htm.
Sr. Digital Content Producer Haley Williams and multiskilled journalist Michael Gibson contributed to this story.
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