16-Year-Old Boy In California Stabbed Multiple Times In Homophobic Attack
Image: Frankie Hayes -GOFUNDME Page
A 16-year-old boy in California was stabbed multiple times by a group of teens while they yelled homophobic and racist slurs at him.
The attack happened on February 10 at Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles, California.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses homophobic and racial abuse, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
‘My Son Was Helping A Friend’
According to the victim’s mother, Frankie Hayes, in a report by local station KTLA, her son was trying to help a friend that the group of teens were harassing when the attackers turned on him.
“My son was helping a friend. He helped get her up off the ground and then a guy just asked him to stop and then my son just wanted to help his friend. The guy asked him if he wanted to fight, and my son didn’t want to fight him.”
Hayes continued, “The doctor, like as soon as we walked through the door, they were like, ‘We didn’t know if your son was going to live,’ and I just started crying and I just went over there and held my son’s head and told him mommy’s not going anywhere. He had a punctured lung, a concussion. They had to put a tube through his chest to suck all the blood out.”
She added, “I’m still at a loss for words knowing that somebody did this to him and they can still be out there looking for him,” she said.
The victim is currently recovering. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating.
