IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - A South Bay mother says her transgender son was one of several teens assaulted while trick-or-treating while Halloween night in Imperial Beach.
Bree says her 13-year-old child, who identifies as male, was excited to hang out with friends, to go trick-or-treating in an Imperial Beach neighborhood on Halloween night.
Around 8 p.m., the group of 7 to 10 kids, most of them LGBT youth, encountered a costumed group of about ten youth, most of them boys.
Immediately, her son's friends came under attack.
“They approached the kids and were using racial slurs and trans-phobic slurs, and they were trying to steal their candy,” said Bree.
Bree says her son's group refused the demands for their candy and tried to get away. They did, but about 20 minutes later and blocks away, they encountered the same group, which had gotten bigger.
Bree says a boy from that group grabbed the costume of a transgender teen in her son's group.
"They snatched the kid’s face mask, almost ripped off his earring,” said Bree.
The boy who grabbed the mask took off down the street. Bree says one of her son's friends gave chase, and Bree's son wasn't far behind to make sure she wasn’t alone.
Bree says her son's friend was attacked.
“She got socked in the face, and was taken to the ground. They kicked her a few times in the stomach,” said Bree.
Bree’s son was choked from behind.
“The boy who did it tried to knock him unconscious, but it didn’t happen. That’s when the kids with the face makeup stomped on his head,” said Bree.
The other group took off and left Bree’s son left with bruises and a concussion.
“It so hard, because he could have died. That is my biggest fear for him and other kids who are also victims of this kind of violence,” said Bree.
Bree says she has no doubt her son and his friends were targeted.
“They decided to target them for being different. Horrible. These kids are doing what we taught them to do: stand up for themselves. They are being fearless and to be almost hunted in a way by these kids that night, it’s heartbreaking,” said Bree. “They need to be held accountable, because hate is not okay.”
Bree says her son and his friends have been left traumatized, and are now fearful of going to school.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 888- 580-8477 or email tips to Isaias.Gardea@sdsheriff.org.
