Nine teens - including a girl and four minors - are arrested over vicious assault of three Marines who were jumped by 'obnoxious' mob on Memorial Day
The Marines were brutally attacked along San Clemente beach by a group of 40 teenagers at 10pm on Friday after they confronted them about their behavior
By Kamal Sultan
Daily Mail
May 31, 2023
A group of nine teenagers have been arrested over the savage beating of three Marines on a California beach over Memorial Day Weekend
Nine teenagers have been arrested over the savage beating of three Marines on a California beach over Memorial Day weekend.
Orange County officials said four boys and one girl were charged with assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday and held at juvenile hall. Another four minors were charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, CBS News reported.
The Marines were brutally attacked along San Clemente beach, just south of Los Angeles, by a group of up to 40 teenagers at 10pm on Friday after the service members confronted them about setting off fireworks.
The incident was caught on video and the men, who sustained minor injuries, refused to be transported to a local hospital in the aftermath.
Hunter Antonino, one of the Marines, told KCAL the fight began when he told the teens to stop lighting fireworks
San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan revealed that deputies have caught the main suspects in the mob of teenagers who launched the attack.
He said: 'They think they have the people they are looking for. Not to say that there might not be a few others out there. They feel pretty confident that they have the main perpetrators.'
Footage of the incident was used to track down those involved, the mayor added.
'In today’s age, you’re going to get caught — people are going to record it,' Duncan said.
'I hope this serves as a learning lesson for young folks in the community not to let themselves get out of control when something like this happens.'
In the roughly minute-long clip posted to Facebook, the Marines were seen trying to walk up the steps outside the Pier Bowl as a group of teenagers shouted at them.
As they approached the stairs, a male teen was seen brutally punching the back of one of the Marine's heads.
The Marine turned around and charged at the assailant, which led to an all-out brawl, as the teen's friends all jumped in to take swings and kick him.
Within seconds the group circled around the two Marines yelling 'Get that f***er' and 'f*** that f***er up,' even using the N-word at one point.
And two of the victims were seen curled up on the ground as the group continued to strike them with vicious kicks.
The brawl only came to an end after two bystanders, an unknown man and woman, intervened and yelled at the children: 'Stop, what are you doing?'
It remains unclear what happened before the video, but Marine Hunter Antonino, told KCAL the fight began when he asked the teens to stop lighting fireworks.
Hunter Antonino is seen here with a relative after signing on as a Marine in 2022
Orange County officials said four boys and one girl were charged with assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday and held at juvenile hall
Another four minors were charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, CBS News reported, after the Marines were brutally attacked along San Clemente beach at 10pm on Friday
The brawl only ended when two unidentified passersby intervened and yelled at the teenagers
The vicious attack began outside the Pier Bowl as the Marines began walking up the steps
Antonino said he and his friend were enjoying some rare time off from Camp Pendleton in Oceanside during the Memorial Day weekend when the crowd began setting off the fireworks.
A piece of debris then hit him in the face and Antonino said he politely asked them to leave.
'They were lighting off fireworks, they were being belligerent and obnoxious and annoying other people, so I went up to them and told them to stop,' he recounted.
But the group followed him back to the pier, at which point Antonino said he and his friend warned the teenagers that they were Marines 'so they would leave, but they didn't.'
Orange County officials said the two men seen in the video sustained only minor injuries such as an injury to the hand, scrapes to the knees and soreness to the abdomen, chest and head.
Antonino, though, feared he may also suffered a concussion.
'My face still has blood on it,' he said. 'It wasn't cool at all.'
Mayor Duncan described the Memorial Day weekend attack as 'tragic.'
'This is San Clemente, Marines are always welcome here, always going to be celebrated, always taken care of, and that is why this is so particularly tragic,' he said.
1 comment:
Maybe it's time for 20 Marines to pay a visit.
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