( CNN ) There will be no hate crime charges for two males arrested in the beating of a man that may have been sparked by a question about the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown . St. Louis police have charged Ronald Williams , 21 , with assault . A 15-year-old has also been arrested , according to authorities . There had been speculation that the suspects might be charged with a hate crime because the victim was white and the people who attacked him were black . And because the punches were thrown following the Michael Brown reference . But that wo n't be happening . `` Specifically , when put in context , it did not support the finding that the acts in this case met the elements of the hate crime statute in the state of Missouri , specifically proving the motivating factor behind the individual that we have charged , Ed Postawko with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney 's Office told CNN affilaite KMOV . The beating , which occurred on a MetroLink light rail train , was caught on surveillance cameras and a passenger 's cell phone camera . The passenger posted the video online , and it went viral . The victim , 43 , said he was commuting home when a young black man asked to use the victim 's cell phone . He declined , and the young man asked his opinion about the shooting of Michael Brown , an unarmed teenager killed by a police officer in nearby Ferguson , Missouri , last summer , the man said . That shooting raised questions nationwide about use of deadly force by police . `` The next thing I know , he sucker punches me right in the middle of my face , '' the victim told CNN affiliate KMOV . The video showed a male unleashing a barrage of punches at the head of the victim , who covered himself with his hand and forearms . Two other males joined in , police said . The attackers fled . The man , who asked not to be identified , was treated at the scene for injuries and did n't go to the hospital .
The two males arrested are 21 and 15 years old , St. Louis police say in a tweet . Police said the suspects were caught after they tried to break into an apartment on the 4100 block of North Hermitage Avenue around 1 a.m. Sunday.