Two 13-year-olds were arrested after a man was kicked in the back of the head and his phone was stolen while he sat in a Southern California jacuzzi, KTLA-TV reported.
Surveillance video captures sudden blow
KTLA said the incident happened Aug. 14. Greg Medina — who the station reported serves the homeless in San Bernardino — told KTLA he was relaxing in a jacuzzi and listening to a class with earbuds when he “felt a sharp kick behind my head.” KTLA reported surveillance video captured one suspect delivering a hard kick to the back of Medina’s head while a second suspect reached down and took Medina’s phone from the concrete.
Victim tracks phone, learns he has a concussion
Medina told KTLA he saw “kids off in the distance” earlier but didn’t pay much attention and didn’t get a look at the suspects, whom he believed were teens or young adults. He tracked his phone to a neighboring apartment complex and contacted police, the station reported. Medina then went to an emergency room, where he learned he had suffered a concussion, according to KTLA.
Parents bring in suspects; felony arrests follow
According to investigators who spoke with KTLA, the parents of two 13-year-old suspects turned them in Friday morning. Police told the station both teens were taken to Juvenile Hall. KTLA reported the teen accused of delivering the kick was booked on robbery and battery, while the other was booked on robbery. The teens were not identified because of their ages, the station said.
‘I forgive them,’ says victim, but asks for accountability
“I don’t hate them. … I forgive them,” Medina told KTLA, adding, “I don’t wish any bad on anybody. However, I do feel that they need to be held accountable, especially the parents.” He also told the station, “I could have lost consciousness, or I could have been hurt a lot worse and drowned.”
