HOT SPRINGS, AR – An 18-year-old has been arrested after a brutal gas station brawl left a 20-year-old man in intensive care with a fractured skull, brain bleed, and other severe injuries, with the violent attack captured on video that quickly went viral.
Cooper Camferdam faces felony first-degree battery charges in connection with the January 17 assault on Noah Epperson at a Circle K gas station on Malvern Avenue in Hot Springs, about 55 miles southwest of Little Rock.
According to police, the violence started earlier that evening at a party where two groups got into an altercation. When Epperson’s group left and went to the convenience store, the second group allegedly followed them.
A second fight erupted at the gas station around 11:30 p.m. Video footage shows Epperson being punched in the face by multiple people before having his head stomped on. Bystanders called police after witnessing the attack.
Epperson was rushed to the hospital with devastating injuries. He suffered a brain bleed, skull fracture, jaw fracture, and hearing loss in his left ear. He remains hospitalized in intensive care.
“The front of his face, there isn’t anything,” his mother said, describing her son’s injuries. “But both sides, big, purple ears and bruises.”
Camferdam is being held at the Garland County Detention Center on $500,000 bond. Police say they’ve identified additional persons of interest and expect to make more arrests in connection with the attack.
Epperson’s family says he doesn’t have health insurance, adding financial stress to an already traumatic situation. They’re seeking help with what are expected to be substantial medical bills.
