CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — A mother is speaking out after she says her son was attacked by three teens this week at the Otay Ranch Town Center in Chula Vista.
The woman says the attack came from behind, catching her son off guard. She says one of the teens was masked.
Lizbeth Guerrero says the attack happened on Tuesday at around 5 p.m. while she worked at a salon at the mall. She had let her son walk around during the weekly farmer's market.
"He just felt like a punch on the back of the head, and the kid threw him to the ground," says Guerrero about what happened to her 14-year-old son.
Guerrero says the attack happened near the Macy's while her son was walking with his girlfriend. She didn't find out about the attack until a day later. She thinks her son didn't immediately tell her because he was scared. Guerrero rushed the teen to the emergency room.
"They did some tests on him, and they told me he had a concussion and that he had to stay out of school for 10 days," says Guerrero.
Guerrero reported the assault to the Chula Vista Police Department.
According to Guerrero, just two days before her son's attack, coworkers had shared a very similar story, which happened just outside the circus that was in town in the mall parking lot over the weekend.
"Three teen kids that jumped the owner of the circus, and one of them was wearing a ski mask," she says.
The Chula Vista Police Department confirmed they are actively investigating both incidents; however, at this time, the department says they're still trying to determine if the two are related to each other.
Guerrero later found out one of the teens in her son's case is his girlfriend's ex, but she doesn't know about the other two teens involved.
Her son has decided not to press charges, but Guerrero is convinced it's the same group and is worried this will happen again to someone else.
Anyone with information on either case is asked to call Crimestoppers or can submit tips anonymously on the P3 Tips App.
