This is a Hate Crime...Plain and Simple~ VIDEO

Gawker~

A group of Tennessee teenagers were caught on camera outside a Kroger parking lot Saturday violently attacking a shopper and two teenaged employees who came to the man's aid.

The shopper, a 25-year-old man, said the group began attacking him as he walked to his car outside the supermarket. On the now-viral video, an observer can be heard laughing, "Hold on, they got a white dude," and adding as the situation began to escalate, "Look at them. Let me get out the way. Oh my God. That man, get him y'all. Somebody call somebody."

According to WREG:

    Two Kroger employees, 17 and 18, ran to help the man. Both were repeatedly hit in the head and face.

    The teens told police pumpkins "in excess of 20 pounds" were thrown on their heads while they were on the ground.

    Police say both teens lost consciousness. Eventually, a security guard stopped the attack.

The victims were reportedly treated on the scene and Kroger told WREG that the two teenaged employees were briefly hospitalized and released to their parents.

"We are fully aware of the last night's incidents. It is extremely troubling to see how many young people were involved, especially on the heels of last week's youth forum. A lot of our citizens are working to provide safe alternatives for our youth," Memphis police director Tony Armstrong said in a statement. "For those that choose not to take advantage of these opportunities, we will work tirelessly to identify, locate and hold you accountable. Last night's events clearly demonstrates a lack of parental controls and if warranted these parents will also be held accountable."

It's not clear what motivated the attack, but CBS suggests it was part of a game:

    The witness said the group was made up of "100 to 125 kids" who were playing a game called "Point Them Out, Knock Them Out."

    "Where they would point someone out and attempt to knock them out or fight them. There was no real reason behind it," the witness said. "They followed hitting him with a pumpkin. He was already unconscious, so all you could see was blood and pumpkins."

    The teen, who watched in horror as the mob beat his friends until they couldn't move, said this is the second weekend he saw a violent mob of kids attack random people in the shopping plaza parking lot.

VIDEO CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND SOME ADULT LANGUAGE

This is appalling...