A chilling Chicago youth robbery video circulating online shows a group of young people in Chicago forcing a peer into a bathtub at gunpoint, robbing and pistol-whipping him in a brazen act of violence that underscores the city’s ongoing struggle with youth crime, a crisis previously highlighted by our detailed coverage of the fatal shooting of Munna Duke in Chicago’s notorious O Block.
The disturbing footage, which recently surfaced, captures the perpetrators taunting their victim, demanding he repeat humiliating phrases like “I’m a goofy” while threatening him with a gun, referred to in street slang as a “glitz.” This incident, marked by its cruelty and the fact that it was recorded for public display, highlights a troubling trend of teenagers using social media to amplify acts of violence, often for clout or to settle gang-related scores. The video, believed to have been filmed in a private residence in a Chicago neighborhood, possibly on the West Side, shows the victim being coerced and physically assaulted.
Kids in Chicago film themselves robbing and pistol whipping someone on video pic.twitter.com/4o9Lg1430y
— Crime Net (@TRIGGERHAPPYV1) August 12, 2025
Phrases like “caught lacking by his opps” suggest the attack was motivated by gang rivalries. This use of social media to document assaults creates a modern form of a gang violence video, meant to intimidate rivals and gain notoriety. ‘Opps’ refers to rivals in street culture, a dynamic explored in our report on how the feud between rappers Mo3 and Yella Beezy led to deadly consequences. The perpetrators’ decision to film the assault aligns with a broader pattern of youth documenting crimes, a practice that has grown alongside Chicago’s rising tide of juvenile delinquency. This incident echoes the activities of groups like the SRT Boys, a teenage crew notorious for carjackings and robberies.
Starting during the COVID-19 lockdown, these teens, some as young as 12, have terrorized Chicago’s streets, stealing phones, cars, and even targeting businesses. They reportedly learned carjacking techniques from TikTok videos, exploiting vulnerabilities in high-performance vehicles like Dodge Challengers. The SRT Boys, operating primarily in North Lawndale, have posted their exploits on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, blending street crime with a performative “rap label” persona.
While no direct evidence ties the SRT Boys Chicago crew to this specific bathtub incident, the similarities are striking: young perpetrators, gun use, and a focus on recording the crime. Chicago’s youth violence crisis is stark. Robbery reports surged 24% from 2022 to 2023, with some areas seeing increases up to 96% since 2019, fueling concerns of a city-wide crime wave.
The juvenile justice system’s leniency, often described as a “revolving door,” allows teens to face minimal consequences, emboldening groups like the SRT Boys to escalate from phone thefts to smash-and-grab burglaries. Experts point to a “culture of lawlessness” that took root during the pandemic, when school closures left many kids unsupervised, and reduced police patrols created opportunities for crime. Professor Lance Williams, who works with at-risk youth, notes that groups like these thrived in this environment, using masks to hide identities and social media to flaunt their actions.
