Over the Memorial Day weekend, a horrifying incident took place in San Clemente, California, where a mob of teenagers allegedly assaulted three military members. The incident, captured in a disturbing minute-long video posted on social media, has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the increasing trend of youth violence in our society. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has launched an investigation, vowing to identify and prosecute all suspects involved in this brutal attack.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, Sgt. Mike Woodruff, the altercation occurred at the pier in San Clemente when three Marines encountered a group of juveniles and young adults. Witnesses reported seeing a large gathering near the San Clemente Pier, where a heated confrontation quickly escalated into violence. The video footage shows one of the victims being blindsided by a punch, leading to a chaotic fight involving the mob and the victims. Shockingly, the victims were then subjected to further assault while lying defenseless on the ground, prompting intervention from courageous bystanders.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has classified this incident as an “assault with a deadly weapon” due to the sheer number of suspects involved. Sgt. Frank Gonzalez affirmed that regardless of the victims’ choices regarding prosecution or medical attention, the sheriff’s department is committed to thoroughly investigating the incident and bringing all responsible individuals to justice. The department aims to utilize all available resources to identify and prosecute the culprits involved in this senseless act of violence.
Hunter Antonino, one of the Marines who was attacked, described the brutality they endured at the hands of the mob. Witnesses and local residents, such as Darren Rude, have come forward to share their accounts of the events leading up to the assault. Rude mentioned seeing a large group of kids lighting fireworks on the beach and engaging in rowdy behavior. He also reported multiple incidents to the police, expressing frustration over what he perceived as a lack of timely intervention.
“They started getting rowdy, jumping on top of the restaurant on the beach called West Toast,” Rude told Fox News Digital. “They were yelling, screaming, fireworks going off on top of the restaurant, fireworks being shot at each other.”
Though Rude said he called the police three times to report the fireworks. The police reportedly told him they were too busy to go after kids celebrating graduation at the beach.
“I really believe that if they had acted earlier they would have prevented it all from happening,” Rude said.
