What is a Class C Felony? Rock the South Festival assault video sparks outrage online 

Rock the South music festival in Cullman, Alabama, has been generating buzz for all the wrong reasons after 18-year-old Reid Watts was brutally assaulted by multiple men on Saturday, July 22. The video that captured the vicious attack has gone viral and sparked widespread outrage among netizens who called the incident “sickening.”

Trigger warning: The video contains physical violence that some people may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised

In the wake of the outrage online, Cullman police on Wednesday, July 26, announced they had arrested three men that left Reid Watts unconscious at the Rock the South country music festival.

Police said the accused, identified as William Joseph Vinson, JR, 20, Zachary Scott Taylor, 21, and Chance Marcus Alan Starling, 20, were taken into custody and charged with second-degree assault, a Class C Felony.

Class C felonies are defined as a charge reserved for serious offenses that involve midrange crimes such as arson, armed robbery, and voluntary manslaughter. While the consequence for a Class C felony is not as dire as a punishment reserved for a Class A felony that involves bodily harm resulting in death, it is still characterized as a grave criminal offense.

Suspects charged with Class C felony, if convicted, face up to two to five years of imprisonment.

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Netizens react as Rock the South assault video goes viral online

In the wake of the suspects’ arrests, Reid Watts’ mother, Kaci Howard, issued a statement on Facebook labeling her son’s accused attackers “cowards.”

“Imagine being as big as these cowards and attacking a kid who weighs 124 lbs from behind, attacking anyone from behind for that matter,” she said.

Reid’s mother wasn’t the only one to condemn the incident that left her son with multiple injuries. Several netizens also took to social media to express disapproval over the attack after ABC News posted a video of the incident online.

The footage that showed multiple people surrounding the victim, who is seen being viciously attacked while lying helpless on the ground, prompted one user to comment:

“These people are no better than a thug. I hope they go to prison.”

While another opined:

“These thugs can't even control themselves at a concert.”

Other comments read:

Image via screengrab/twitter

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Rock the South assault details explored in wake of arrests

While police did not provide a potential motive for the attack, Reid Watts, who has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for multiple injuries, detailed the incident to WBMA.

Reid said he was attending a popular concert with a group of friends Saturday when a middle-aged man accused him of spilling beer on him. Reid, who said that he was not drinking, supposedly explained to the man that he was not responsible, and they seemingly resolved the issue.

Shortly after, when Reid’s friends left him to visit the restroom, the middle-aged man’s alleged companions reportedly jumped him and began pummeling him at the scene. Watts reportedly had to go to the hospital after sustaining “a concussion and fractured nose.”

As the video of the assault went viral, Rock the South founder Shane Quick issued a statement condemning the incident. He offered a reward for people who would help identify the men responsible for the attack.

“These things happen, it is never acceptable when it happens. We are going to put them in jail if we can… Our fans have poured in support. We have thousands of pictures of these guys and like I said, I don’t think it is going to be long before these guys are in jail,” Shane said.

It is unknown if the reward money offered by Rock the South had been claimed in the wake of the arrests.