Newport Beach Teens Caught On Video In Brutal Assault Said To 'Go After Old Men'
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) — A brutal beating of a man in Newport Beach that was caught on video could be part of a larger trend.
A fight was reported Saturday night in the area of Balboa Boulevard East and Main Street, where officers found a man with serious injuries. He was taken to a hospital in serious condition.
His attackers, however, scattered before police arrived.
The man beaten in the video, identified only as Donnie, told CBSLA's Michele Gile he wants everyone to know that he is alive but plans to lay low until Newport Beach police finish their investigation.
The 58-year-old says he and a friend were walking to dinner Saturday night at Cruisers near the Balboa Fun Zone when a group of boys under the age of 15 on electric bikes kicked, punched and knocked him to the ground.
One of the boys was reportedly as young as 11 years old.
Donnie didn't want to give details on what led up to the attack, but said this isn't an isolated incident, adding they "go after old men."
Donnie says as a result of the attack, his speech is not clear, his jaw and hip are injured, and he considers this a hate crime against the elderly.
Martin Derek, who owns Seaside Electric Bike Co. 20 yards from where Donnie was assaulted, says he had his own confrontation with some boys the following day.
"The kid circles around comes back at me and gets in my face and says, 'What did you say old man?' And I said to slow down and he says, 'I'm going to come over and knock you out'," Derek said.
Video of the fight was posted on Instagram Monday night, and police confirmed the footage was of the Saturday night fight in Newport Beach.
The video shows teenagers in hoodies and backpacks approaching the man in the middle of a street as cars go by. The group then starts punching and kicking him until he falls down, hitting his head with a hard thud.
Someone in the background is heard egging on the attack, and the last teen involved in the fight calls the man an expletive before running off.
The video ends after another man stops to protect the man on the ground from the teens.
Police say they are working to track down the teens involved.
