‘Get These Aggressors Off the Streets!’: Five Teens Charged After Black Boy Beaten by Mob as He Defends Himself with a Chair In Viral Hate-Driven Attack
Five white teenagers have been charged with a hate crime following a racially motivated assault that injured a Black teenager and sparked outrage in one California community. Viral footage of the Aug. 1 attack in Simi Valley shows several white teens chasing 18-year-old Michael Robinson around a movie theater parking lot, and punching and kicking him while calling him racial slurs. Michael Robinson, 18, around a movie theater parking lot. (Photo: YouTube screenshot/KCAL News) At one point, Robinson is seen trying to fend off the attackers with a chair as they swarm him and continue yelling racially derogatory terms. Robinson had to be treated at a hospital for a possible concussion, a chipped tooth, and several minor abrasions. Two days after the attack, four of the teen assailants turned themselves in to Simi Valley police. They were cited with battery, then released back into the custody of their parents. Authorities confirmed that one of the teenagers is the son of a Simi Valley police officer, but ensured that the relationship has "no bearing on the investigation." ‘It’s Trashy!’: White Stranger Shames Black Women for What They’re Wearing and Gets Put on Blast, Video Shows The citation and release from police custody drew backlash from community members, many of whom flocked to a city council meeting days after the attack and demanded more severe charges, given the brutality of the attack. The Ventura County NAACP also called for an independent investigation into the incident. “He was chased down, jumped and mocked for the color of his skin,” Jared Jasson, a friend of Robinson’s, said at the meeting, per the Ventura County Star. “This wasn’t a fight. It was a hate-driven attack, and it happened right here in our city. … When we ignore or excuse this kind of behavior, we’re sending a message that racism is allowed to exist in our community.” “To the figures with actual authority, get these aggressors off the streets as they’ve proven to be nothing but unremorseful,” another Simi Valley resident said. In the weeks since the attack, Simi Valley Police identified another teen involved in the melee. On Aug. 20, law enforcement submitted the case to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office and recommended prosecutors charge the five teenagers with assault likely to produce great bodily injury, criminal conspiracy, and a hate crime. According to CBS News, the department said they are mandated to turn over serious and violent cases involving minors to the District Attorney's Office. Cases in which racial motivation or discriminatory treatment are involved are also automatically referred to the DA's office. Confidentiality laws prevent police from releasing the identities of juvenile suspects. The case is still under review with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office's Juvenile Unit.
