‘The horror, the hurt’: Youths attack Campbell River 12-year-old in online video

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details. Discretion is advised. 

Campbell River RCMP is investigating an assault that was caught on video.

It shows a group of youths attacking a 12-year-old boy and has been shared widely in Campbell River.

In the video, three youths can be seen attacking the young boy on the ground, dropping a bicycle on him, stomping on his head and hitting him with a scooter while he put his hands up to try and protect himself.

The victim’s mom told Global News her son is actually the fourth child targeted by this group of children.

“And my son was not hurt nearly as badly as the other children,” Betty Gillis said. “So this is a serious and continuing issue with the skateparks and the bike parks for our children. Our kids need to be able to be kids and be safe.”

She said her son suffered a serious concussion, a laceration on the side of his head, two black and swollen eyes and scrapes and bruises all over his body.

“And just so many blows to the head,” Gillis said. “It wasn’t just them kicking him. They were jumping on his head and running and jumping on his head. I believe in the video it shows that one of them took the scooter and hit him in the head with that as well. They threw his bike on top of him once or twice and continued to kick him.”

1:53 West Vancouver woman assaulted after defending bus driver

Const. Maury Tyre with Campbell River RCMP told Global News police received a report on Saturday, July 22, at approximately 7 p.m., about an assault involving multiple people in the Penfield Hilchey area.

“At this point in time, we know everybody that is involved in that video, that scene on that video, and we are actively dealing with them,” he said. “And just based on the fact that these are youths, we won’t be commenting in the public whether these individuals have been arrested or whether they’ve been charged.”

Gillis said her son was out riding his new bike and he encountered this group of youths. He told her they asked to see his glasses and when he took them off, one of them punched him in the head.

“To see your child helpless like that is, I can’t explain the horror, the hurt, the, you know? I’m devastated,” she said. “It was brutal. Absolutely brutal.”

Gillis said her son was able to get away and go over to the nearby Shoppers Drug Mart where staff administered first aid.

She said everyone in the community has been reaching out with words of comfort and support and rallying around her family.

0:22 Transit police release video of bus assault suspect

But she said this cannot continue, noting the attackers in the video, especially one of them, needs help.

“Am I mad? Absolutely. Do I want to see them prosecuted to the extent that they can be? Absolutely. But that child needs help and the way that our legal system operates right now, the resources that are available to help children that are in crisis and in trouble, they’re just not there.”

Tyre said, in this case, the video is a compelling piece of evidence but it is very disturbing to watch.

“It’s not something that I think anybody would like to see happen,” he said. “And of course, it’s the last thing anyone would wish to see happen to their own children.

“So it is extremely important, I think, for the parents to understand that the boundaries for their kids of what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable need to be set early and often where it does become harder to teach our kids when they do get older.”

Gillis said her son is very angry about what happened, but he’s also scared it’s going to happen again.

“Come September, school goes back in and some of those children also attend the school that my son attends,” she said. “But hopefully between now and then, the matter will be reasonably dealt with and the risk to the other children and my son will be eliminated.”