Suspect in Stonebriar Centre attack claims it was self defense

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One of the two men facing charges after police say they beat two teens for being loud during a movie at Stonebriar Centre says he was just defending himself.

Sincere Wheat, 18, says he was initially attacked by a large group of “15 to 20 dudes." However, cell phone video shows something else.

The video shows Josh Johnson, 17, being attacked on the ground and someone stomping on his head.

Over the weekend, Frisco PD arrested Sincere Wheat and Jonathan Ivy, 18, for the attack.

Wheat agreed to an interview with FOX 4 Reporter James Rose. He said he was acting in self-defense but made no apologies about stomping on the unconscious young man on the ground.

"I'm trying to watch the movie. I'm sitting here quiet waiting for the movie,” Wheat said. “I said like ‘shut up.’ Just like that."

After the movie, Wheat says a group of guys attacked him for telling them to shut up in the movie theater in Frisco's Stonebriar Centre Mall Friday evening.

Multiple people took video of the assault and posted it to social media. The young man lying on the ground was Josh. The attack is so violent that it can’t be shown in its entirety.

Josh says someone sucker punched him in the back of the head and knocking him to the ground as he left the theater. The video shows two young men continue to beat and stomp on him as he lay unconscious on the ground leaving him with stitches and facial fractures.

However, Wheat says he acted in self-defense only after he was attacked.

Wheat: "It was a group!  It wasn't just one. It wasn't just two. It wasn't just three. It wasn't just four. I'm talking about like 15 to like 20 dudes!"

Rose: "And you're still standing?"

Wheat: “I'm still standing."

Rose: "You must be one hell of a fighter."

Wheat: "Pretty much, yeah."

Wheat says he has witnesses but admits the video didn’t show that.

Rose: "So that was not you stomping the guy?"

Wheat: “No, I stomped the dude."

Rose: “Why would you stop somebody that's already unconscious?"

Wheat: “Because they would do the same thing to me if I was on the ground. I admit that I'm wrong for doing it. But I'm not sorry from doing it because at the same time they would've done that sh** to me."

When asked about a recent incident on his criminal record in February 2017 that he pleaded guilty to and in return received deferred adjudication, Wheat says he was attacked.

Rose: “Assault of a public servant. So, you attacked a teacher?"

Wheat: “Teachers, teachers. They tried to attack me."

Rose: “Teachers tried to attack you?"

Wheat: “Yeah, pretty much. They tried to strangle me."

It's not yet clear if a judge will revoke Wheat's probation as a result of the aggravated assault charges. At this point, he remains in the Collin County jail on a $25,000 bond.

Ivy does not appear to have a criminal record. His bond is set at $50,000.