The police chief in Cobourg, Ont., says it was “heart-wrenching” that no one came to the aid of a boy who was assaulted in broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon.
Video provided to Global News Peterborough shows a teen first swatting food out of another boy’s hand as they stand outside a Tim Hortons at Division and Elgin streets. The teen then throws 15 punches to the victim’s head and several knee shots to the youth’s head before the video ends.
A number of youths can be seen gathering in front of the business as the assault unfolds.
WATCH: Mother of Cobourg assault victim disgusted no one helped her teenage son
Video of the incident was posted on social media and brought to the attention of the Cobourg Police Service, who investigated. On Thursday, police said an arrest had been made the same day.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily harm involving a 15-year-old boy. The name of the accused is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A court date was not released.
“The first thing when I saw (the video) was, ‘Please don’t let this be in Cobourg,'” police Chief Paul VandeGraaf said. “When I found out it was, as a parent, I was devastated for this person.”
The police chief says the lasting impact of the video for him was that no one intervened during the incident when the victim was “unwilling” to fight back or be a participant.
“I can’t shake the image — people stood by and allowed this to occur,” he said.
He says the fact the incident was videotaped and shared on social media is also alarming.
“There were obviously people around that situation… and nobody offered assistance to this poor person,” VandeGraaf said. “As chief of police, that makes me the most alarmed. I expect people in our community to stand up when they feel comfortable and help and assist members in our community if they are victims of crime.
“And this was just really heart-wrenching to see this young lad assaulted in such a manner and not have assistance given to him.”
In a statement to Global News Peterborough, Michael Nasello, director of education for the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington District School Board, said he was “appalled” when he learned about the incident.
He revealed the students involved were from St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg.
“As a director, my heart goes out to the student who was injured in what appears to be a vicious, unprovoked attack,” he stated.
“This behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and the actions depicted in the video do not represent the St. Mary school community in any way. Even though this event took place off school grounds, we take a situation like this extremely seriously. We are assisting police in its investigation and are investigating this matter thoroughly at the school level.
“Student safety is always our number one priority. Every student should feel safe and welcome at school,” he added.
An aunt of the victim told Today’s Northumberland that her nephew suffered severe facial injuries, including a broken eye socket, which will require surgery.