Two men face charges including attempted murder after officials say they attacked a housemate and tried to forcibly remove a tattoo from his arm.
Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said Wednesday that the 31-year-old victim of Monday’s attack had his right arm amputated below the elbow and is in critical condition.
Insane Clown Posse to Fight FBI’s Case Dismissal
Investigators say 33-year-old Paul Martin Hurst of Hebron and 35-year-old Carey Lee Edwards of Williamsburg, Virginia, savagely beat the victim, then tried to carve and burn a tattoo from his arm. A judge has ordered them held without bond.
Lewis says all three men are affiliated with the Juggalos, a fan base of the rap-metal duo Insane Clown Posse that the FBI has described as ganglike.
Lewis says the suspects thought the victim disrespected the group and didn’t deserve the tattoo.
Insane Clown Posse’s Gathering of the Juggalos Moves to Ohio
After the Insane Clown Posse sued the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations for designating the Juggalos as a “loosely organized hybrid gang,” and the suit was subsequently dismissed, the rap-metal duo recently appealed the case.
In a lawsuit, ICP members Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joey Utsler) alleged that the Juggalos had been victimized by local police for wearing jewelry or tattoos with the group’s symbol following a 2011 FBI report that those who identify as Juggalos have committed assaults and vandalism, and a “small number” of them have engaged in more serious crimes.