Baltimore County Police are seeking criminal charges against five of the eight juveniles who investigators believe were involved in a violent assault Friday on 12-year-old Kayson Longo at the Kings Mill Apartments in Essex.

The accused are all 13 years old or younger.

The incident, captured on cellphone video and widely circulated on social media, shows Kayson being punched, thrown to the ground, kicked and having his pants pulled down by a group of young boys.

Tony Longo, Kayson’s father, said Wednesday, “At this point, he’s very badly bruised up,” as his son recovers physically and mentally from the attack.

Tony Longo only became aware of the video this week after it had surfaced. He said his son had not initially told him about the incident but had left home without permission that day. He says, Kayson was confronted by a classmate at the apartment complex, accused of calling the classmate’s girlfriend a derogatory name, which led to the assault.

“Next thing you know, they’re 15 kids surrounding Kayson on top of them brutally beating him,” Tony Longo said. “Whether you are a juvenile or you are an adult, there has to be consequences.

“This type of behavior is unacceptable. To beat my son and then feel as if it’s ok to take his clothes from him, beat him with his clothes, continue to beat him,” he added.

In an email Wednesday night, police said, that due to the ages of three of the juveniles, state law prohibits them from bringing charges against them. They also said that based on the information provided, the incident is not believed to be a hate crime.

Have a news tip? Contact Keith Daniels at kdaniels@sbgtv.com.