Videos depict violent beating of homeless man in Arroyo Grande

July 15, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

Videos shown at court depict two young men violently attacking a homeless man in Arroyo Grande, giving each other high-fives, and then leaving the elderly man suffering from a traumatic brain injury. Even so, the men were sentenced on Monday to only one year in jail and four years probation.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on the morning of March 20, 21-year-old Boaz Winslow Brigham and 18-year-old Malachy Damien Hayes stood talking not far from a homeless man sleeping under a gazebo at Elm Street Park. After Brigham took out his phone to record, Hayes urinated on Douglas Mark.

As Mark struggled to his feet, Hayes began punching him in the head and face. While still videotaping the assault, Brigham joined the attack, with the two punching and kicking Mark in the head, face, and body while he lay on the ground.

Hayes’ shoe flew off as he violently kicked Mark in the head. He put his shoe back on before kicking the victim in the head again, all caught on a city camera. They walked away not knowing if their victim was alive or dead.

Familiar with the young men, officers later found what appeared to be dried blood on Hayes’ shoe and knuckles, and swelling consistent with a hematoma on Brigham’s hand.

In the video Brigham took, the two young men could be heard laughing, egging each other on, and celebrating the assault – including high-fiving one another afterward.

They later shared the video on Snapchat, boasting about their assault of an elderly homeless man.

Brigham pleaded guilty and Hayes pleaded no contest to felony elder abuse. Both assailants admitted to a great-bodily-injury enhancement and multiple aggravating factors.

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office argued for the maximum sentence available under California law: seven years in state prison.

Based on their ages and lack of criminal charges as adults, the SLO County Probation Department recommended one year in SLO County Jail followed by four years felony probation.

Mark helped build sets for Rob Reiner’s Lorimar Studios and also worked as an architectural landscaper, Mark told CalCoastNews. But he was charged with drunk driving, lost his job and his license, and began sleeping in parks.

“They took my zest for living,” Mark said of his attackers. “Its hard to enjoy anything when you always have a headache.”

Continuing to suffer headaches and memory issues resulting from the beating, Mark told the court Hayes and Brigham are “devoid of any conscience.”

“For this to be considered probation is outrageous … my eyes were full of blood, I get headaches … have a brain injury …,” Mark said. “What if I died? My brain is broken, it doesn’t work right, I don’t think right … They ruined my brain.”

After hearing from both sides, Superior Court Judge Crystal T. Seiler found that the statutory presumption favoring state prison for a defendant who willfully inflicts great bodily injury was overcome by their youth, lack of significant prior criminal history, and willingness to accept responsibility by pleading to the charges.

She suspended the five-year state prison sentence for each defendant – a two-year base term on the elder abuse count plus a consecutive three-year enhancement – and instead placed both defendants on formal probation for four years, conditioned on serving 364 days in the SLO County Jail.

In addition, both Hayes and Brigham are barred from using any social media, including Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat, and Reddit, for the full four-year term of their probation. If they violate their probation requirements, the could spend five years in prison.

District Attorney Dan Dow said the victim was “especially vulnerable, and is entitled to protection and dignity as a human being.”

“This elderly victim was homeless, asleep, and completely defenseless when he was humiliated and brutally beaten, leaving him with a permanent brain injury,” Dow said. “Our office sought a state prison sentence because this predatory, recorded attack on a sleeping victim warranted the strongest response the law allows.

“Although we are disappointed that probation was granted instead of prison, we respect the court’s authority and will continue to stand with victims and advocate for firm, just consequences for violent offenders.”

Following the attack, the community came together with a city resident providing Mark a trailer to live in on his property.

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