Video appears to show teen being attacked outside school
A disturbing video is making the rounds on social media that appears to show a four-on-one attack on a teenage boy outside a Penticton school.
The video, shot on Saturday, June 3, behind Queen’s Park Elementary, was provided to The Herald by a concerned mother, who was shown the recording by her middle school-aged daughter and also forwarded it to the RCMP.
“This is pure bullying and I was hoping that these kids would have been reprimanded by now, but… again this video is being shared and posted on social media and these kids are boasting and bragging about what they did,” the mother said in a message to The Herald on condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions for her and her daughter.
“The fact that it is still being shared online is disgusting and could further victimize the boy being attacked.”
The 26-second video starts with the victim squaring off with one of his attackers.
The victim is punched three times in the face and heard to say, “What’s going on? Please stop.”
He’s then thrown to the ground, where three other males join in the fracas and deliver at least 20 punches and kicks to the victim’s head and body.
The victim eventually curls up in the fetal position before getting to his feet and backing away from his assailants.
“My f-----g God. What was that about?” he says while picking up his glasses from the ground.
Okanagan Skaha School District superintendent Wendy Hyer said in an email Thursday she’s aware of the video and her staff helped police identify some of the youth involved, not all of whom are local students.
“It is my understanding that the issue has not impacted the school environment given that some of those involved do not attend the school. So, there are no ongoing concerns about student safety,” said Hyer.
She suggested parents who stumble across such videos send them immediately to the RCMP and the principals of any schools involved — even if incidents depicted happen outside class times.
Penticton RCMP spokesman Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said police have already spoken to those seen in the video, none of whom have been charged.
He added without elaborating, however, that the investigation, which is ongoing, so far suggests the attack wasn’t unprovoked and that the video doesn’t tell the whole story.
Wrigglesworth joined with Hyer in encouraging parents to keep an eye on their kids’ online activities and report any suspected crimes.
“Parents need to monitor their children on social media. There’s a lot of this going around,” he said.
“Be aware of what your kids are doing.”
A similar swarming-type attack was reported to police on June 16. In that case, a 17-yearold male was assaulted at random by four or five others on a path near KVR Middle School.
Parents need to monitor their children on social media. There’s a lot of this going around. Be aware of what your kids are doing. RCMP Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth