A homeless man in a TikTok video that went viral, which also prompted a fundraising campaign to help raise over $400,000, has a lengthy criminal history including violent assault, according to a report.
Alonzo Douglas Hebron, the man in the viral video, has been in and out of prison for years, and a woman who claims to be a victim of one of his brutal attacks spoke exclusively with FOX 5 Washington, D.C., about his recent rise to social media fame.
“I’m speechless,” said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
In the TikTok video, which was posted Feb. 1, a college student buys Hebron a drink and goes around town assisting him. It amassed tens of millions of views.
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Alonzo Douglas Hebron, the man in the viral video, has been in and out of prison for years, records show. (Sierra Fox/WTTG Fox 5 DC)
The student who recorded the TikTok video, Sanai Graden, told WUSA9 that she saw the man “in pain” and decided to help him. She then created a fundraising account so that others could help him too.
“I just didn’t want to leave him with just tea. I wanted to leave him with more so like I tried to help him as much as I could. So that’s why you saw me running around all over D.C.,” Graden said. “He was in pain, it was really hard to watch and I’m like no I want to post this.”
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The victim who spoke with FOX 5 said that she was “heartbroken” after seeing the viral video, adding, “First of all — kudos to the woman who did this. She meant well, and I do applaud her for that. I know it was a lot of work for her to do so, but [she is] portraying him as something he just simply isn’t.”
According to FOX 5, the woman was the victim of an assault in June 2020, as she was sleeping outside Foundry United Methodist Church on P Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. The incident was caught on camera.
Security video of the incident shows Hebron placing a scarf on the victim, who is sleeping, when he begins repeatedly punching her.
“I do not understand how a human being can act like this. He’s a sociopath. He does not have a sense of remorse,” the victim told the outlet.
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“I’ve been struggling since then,” she continued, noting she was in recovery from alcoholism. “Last week was my 18-month anniversary and the last two days, I came close, but I didn’t because he’s not worth it.”
The victim who spoke with FOX 5 said that she was “heartbroken” after seeing the viral video. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
According to the Department of Justice, Hebron has a criminal history that included an assault in 2012, when he was sentenced to five years in prison.
During that incident, Hebron was convicted of stabbing a man in the neck with a screwdriver in Washington, D.C., FOX 5 reported.
He also escaped a halfway house in June 2023.
In the fundraiser, Graden said she did not know the man’s criminal history but that he shared his medical troubles.
“After walking and talking, he decided to open up about his current situation. I’ve learned that he’s homeless, has no family and currently has prostate cancer. I then offered him food, and he didn’t want to accept. I informed him that if he needed anything to let me know,” she wrote.
Alonzo Hebron has a criminal history that included being sentenced to five years in prison for an assault in 2012, according to the Department of Justice. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The victim who spoke with FOX 5 said she is sharing her story so that people know to avoid him and for those who have seen the TikTok video to have more information about his history.
“Why is he on the street? How many people does he have to hurt before he is locked up for good,” she told the outlet. “He will not stop. I don’t know what they’re waiting for.”
The fundraiser, created seven days ago, remains open to donations.
