nursing home assault
© Twitter video screenshot
The helpless victim was hospitalized for treatment of his injuries, but did survive the attack.

A man has been arrested in connection with the beating of a 75-year-old nursing home patient in Detroit, after a leaked video of the violent attack went viral.

Disturbing footage circulated on social media this week, showing a male suspect beating a helpless elderly man in what appears to be a room in a care facility. The perpetrator repeatedly punches the victim to the point of drawing blood, then cussing at the elderly man — calling him the N-word and repeatedly telling him, "get the f**ck off my bed."

According to the Daily Caller, "additional unconfirmed videos of the suspect assaulting other elderly individuals have surfaced across social media," and "it appears the assault was racially motivated."

The Detroit Police Department made an arrest in the case on Thursday, and wrote on Twitter, "Thank you to everyone for your assistance in bringing the senior home incident to our attention." Police have not named the suspect, but did disclose that he is a 20-year-old male who was also a patient at the Westwood Nursing Center, where the incident occurred.

During a press conference, Detroit Police Chief James Craig told reporters, "The nursing home was unaware of the assault until they saw the video."

The Detroit News reported that "the suspect was taken into custody at the nursing home and transported to the Detroit Detention Center without incident." The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

WXYZ-TV reported that it is unclear why the suspect was being treated at the nursing home, and that "it appears the person who set up the phone to take the video is the 20-year-old suspect himself."