Nov. 26 (UPI) — Four fire rescuers in Florida were arrested on multiple charges after an alleged waterboarding-related hazing ritual turned violent, deputies said.<\/p>\n
The four employees in the Marion County Fire Rescue unit were arrested for<\/a> the alleged waterboarding incident after sheriff’s deputies responded to Fire Rescue Station 21 in Ocala, according to the<\/a> Marion County Sheriff’s Office.\n<\/p>\n Officials said the incident allegedly took place Nov. 16. The unidentified victim reportedly was in the middle of performing his duties, at which point Tate Trauthwein, a 19-year-old co-worker, threw the victim’s boots into a wooded area.<\/p>\n Edward Kenny III, 22, reportedly tried to grabbed the victim from behind and both fell.\n<\/p>\n Upon arriving, law enforcement learned it allegedly started as a harmless tease but violently escalated.<\/p>\n According to Marion County Sheriff Bill Woods, the victim was smeared with<\/a> grease and the attackers sought a<\/a> TikTok video on a locked phone.<\/p>\n The group removed the victim’s belt and then pants during the brutal attack, police said.<\/p>\n Trauthwein and Kaylee Bradley<\/a>, 25, allegedly took the victim’s phone but refused to give his passcode. Trauthwein proceeded to strike the victim with the belt, police say.\n<\/p>\n An emergency service call interrupted the assault, authorities say.<\/p>\n Hazing incidents intended to be harmless have led to serious charges.<\/p>\n Last month, a Rutgers University fraternity in New Jersey was permanently shut down after a<\/a> student was critically injured in an alleged hazing incident.<\/p>\n