PLAYA DEL REY, CA – A 16-year-old boy is recovering from severe injuries after being assaulted by multiple people at Dockweiler Beach. The incident, which involved the teenager being beaten and stabbed, was captured on video.
The victim’s mother, known as Frankie, disclosed that her son had suffered a concussion and had spent several days in the intensive care unit due to the excessive injuries he sustained.
“He had a tube through his chest. They had to collapse a lung to repair the other one,” Frankie explained. She also mentioned that the medical team had to inspect her son’s stomach due to an abundance of blood present. Frankie did not reveal her last name for the interview.
Frankie further described her son as a well-liked individual who generally stays out of trouble. According to her, the assault took place during a bonfire party on the beach on February 10th. She alleged that the incident broke out when her son tried to support a friend, stating that he wasn’t the instigator- a detail that was verified by the police.
The video of the incident shows the boy trying to shield his face while he is being kicked, punched, and stabbed by no less than five individuals.
Several of the young suspects involved in the attack have now been recognized and are currently being questioned by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The LAPD has confirmed that they are actively investigating the assault and analyzing the video footage.
While authorities have not yet identified the incident as a hate crime, Frankie stipulates that the language used in the assault seemed to point to it being a gang-related hate crime.
“They kept saying ‘on the dead homies’ while they were kicking him and stabbing him,” she mentioned, adding that the attackers also used racial and homophobic slurs against her son.
To help with the medical expenses and the costs associated with relocating, Frankie has launched a GoFundMe page as her son continues to recover both physically and emotionally.