Fil-Am boy chased home and assaulted by alleged bullies despite offering $50 for his safety
A Filipino-American minor was allegedly followed and punched by two other minors just outside his home in Santa Clara, California on Saturday, Oct. 8.
Footage of the alleged incident was captured by a home security camera and later posted by boy’s older sister Nina Leslie on her Instagram account on Monday, Oct. 10.
The incident
In the video of the attack, the alleged bullies can be seen cornering the victim at the doorway in front of his home. One of the boys wearing white – allegedly named Chris – then returned to his bike, allegedly saying, “I got something bigger coming his way.”
Later, the victim can be heard offering to pay the alleged bullies $50 so they would not hurt him, but the other bully wearing black – allegedly named Jonathan – punches him two more times.
In her post describing the incident, Nina stated that this particular attack began when her brother was walking her dog and the two alleged bullies began to follow him. The victim then allegedly ran because he heard them say, “Let’s get him.”
View this post on Instagram
“My brother was punched 2-3x, held my dog so my dog wouldn’t get hurt, that’s one reason he didn’t fight back,” Nina wrote in her Instagram post.
To give context to the incident, Nina stated, “These 2 boys have been bothering my brother for a little over a year now and I just found out last night when I asked him to tell me who hurt him and if they knew him.”
“You can see my brother run holding my dog and banging on the door,” Nina added in an additional Instagram story depicting another angle of the incident. “He screamed ‘what I do’ bc they followed him back to our home.”
In an interview with Asian-American daily news outlet NextShark, Nina confirmed that the two boys attend a different school from her younger brother.
“This incident has affected our family’s safety. We are worried about the other families retaliating once the word goes out. But it’s already gone out,” Nina told NextShark. “My brother fears going outside and we fear his safety.”
Buchser Middle School’s response
Instagram user @al.mamabear, who described themself as a concerned parent, said they reached out to Buchser Middle School where the pair of alleged bullies attend to report the incident. Shortly after, the principal of the school Justin Ponzio responded to the parent with a statement.
“Late Sunday night, we were notified of an incident involving Buchser Middle School students that occurred off campus over the weekend. We understand that this was shared on social media as well. Because this incident did not happen at school, our authority in this situation is limited,” Ponzio stated. “However, this is a very serious situation and we reported it to police immediately and are cooperating in their investigation, including identifying the students involved.”
Ponzio also added that that the school has spoken with the students and their families about the school’s expectations for safe and harassment-free schools.
The aftermath
“It pains me watching this video over and over bc I have never felt this sick to my stomach watching an innocent little boy get hurt,” Nina wrote in her original Instagram post. “Anyone who knows my brother knows that he’s the sweetest and goofiest kid I know, he hustles hard and has so many goals to reach.”
“No one should ever suffer in silence because they’re getting bullied or going through something tough.”
Nina said in an Instagram story and confirmed in her interview with NextShark that their family pressed assault and battery charges on the day of the incident. The family has also been in contact with law enforcement in addition to the schools of the parties involved.
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