Alleged Victims of Harrah’s Casino Assaults Call for Criminal Probes

— -- Attorneys for two Philadelphia men who allege they were beaten by security guards at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City have called on state and federal prosecutors to launch criminal investigations into the separate incidents, which were both captured on security video.

“There is no place for this kind of brutal, barbaric conduct by anyone – let alone security officers in a hotel-casino – in a civil society,” said Michael Maggiano, one of the lawyers for the two men, during a press conference Tuesday. “It must be criminally investigated, over and above the civil litigation, and it must be stopped before someone is killed.”

Sean Oaks, a college student, and Rob Coney, an aspiring businessman, were featured in an ABC News “20/20” investigation into the hotel’s security procedures, which aired last week.

Both men told ABC News in interviews that modest disagreements in the hotel quickly escalated, and they were stunned to find themselves being tackled by a group of security guards and hauled to a secluded hotel holding room. Security footage provided to ABC News by the mens’ attorneys showed Oaks, 26, emerging from a scuffle with a gash under his eye, while cameras appeared to capture one-time basketball standout Coney, 25, as a security guard struck him on the head with a baton. Coney can then be seen bleeding from the head, with a trail of blood smearing the floor as guards dragged him across the hotel floor.

Holiday From Hell? Atlantic City Vacationers Describe Being Roughed Up by Harrah's Security