ABC 10 News

"They laid hands on him first, and they should have just got off."

In the last couple of months, over a dozen San Diego County teenagers reportedly partook in the harassment and assaults of much older people. 

The most recent assault was the attack by three 14-year-old females from Escondido on a 64-year-old male bus driver.

The incident began on August 29 after 4:20 p.m., when San Pasqual High School students embarked on a North County Transit District bus by their school in Escondido, said the Escondido Police Department. The high school students caused a disturbance, and the NCTD driver approached them, spoke to them, and then called his supervisor.

The incriminating video footage without audio, released by the NCTD, cuts to when the bus driver is standing on the inside of the bus's doors, which swing outward towards the street. As the teens walked towards him, the driver blocked the doorway and held onto yellow-colored bars attached to the doors. One teen wearing a black-colored backpack attempted to walk through the bus driver but failed as the bus driver held the doors tightly. The teen then pushed against the driver twice and kicked toward him, but the driver remained still, holding the doors shut. Another teenager wearing a red backpack attempted to get through but failed.

Seconds after, the bus driver eventually gave way, opening the door for the students. But as the student wearing a black backpack walked past him, she appeared to have shoulder-checked the driver; then, the driver pushed her out of the bus. The girl wearing the red backpack followed.

The Escondido Police Department continued from when the girl wearing a red backpack "began punching the 64-year-old driver and then knocked him to the ground. At least one other female student (the girl in the black backpack) joined in on the fight. A male student and an off-duty security guard, who was on  the bus headed to work, moved in and pulled the female students away from the driver."

In the 54-second video footage, edited and sent to [mainstream] media outlets, the students were depicted fleeing the scene as the bus driver was assisted back on his feet.

The video went viral on all internet platforms, with fewer people supporting the teenagers' actions, stating they should not have been blocked to disembark the bus. "This was a city bus, and they (the teens) can get off at whatever stop they want to get off," Geeeena78 commented. "Too bad they aren’t allowing us to hear the audio tho! That’s what will tell the real truth." Another person wondered, "Why did this boomer block the way after asking them to leave?"

The majority of the online comments supported the bus driver. "I don't care. They laid hands on him first, and they should have just got off," Elchangosk8 replied. ".... Y’all wanna be like 'He should be fired,' [but] he shouldn’t. These kids don’t got respect; again, better pray his grandkids don’t go to yo school."

According to the policies listed on the North County Transit District site, the teenagers and the bus driver were wrong before the scuffle on a strip of grass feet away from the bus. Under the behavior section, it states in part: "No loud, profane, threatening or disruptive speech. Violations may result in a citation/fine pursuant to NCTD Ordinance 3, Penal Code section 640, and/or Public Utilities Code §99170(a)(2)." The police corroborated, stating the teens "were causing a disturbance."

Then, pertaining to the bus driver, under the doors section, it says, "Do not lean on, block, or hold open doorways. Violations may result in a citation/fine pursuant to NCTD Ordinance 3 and Penal Code section 640."

The police reportedly said that the driver stated he was uninjured, and one of the teenage girls caught on video was arrested on an assault charge and taken into custody. The two others were to be charged and released to their parents.

The police added that the driver stated he was uninjured and they are "investigating criminal charges on three female 14-year-old San Pasqual High School students. The investigation will be forwarded to the Juvenile District Attorney’s Office for a review of charges. The Escondido Unified High School District is aware of the incident and is working with the Escondido Police Department."          

On August 23, another group of teens in Pacific Beach allegedly bullied "a homeless man," said Kayla B. on NextDoor. Kayla was in the drive-thru at the Rite Aid on Garnet Avenue when she saw a group of "middle school boys, a mixture of kids on e-bikes and on foot, [who] were throwing rocks at what appeared to be a homeless man." Then, Kayla said she pulled up closer to the kids to make them aware she was watching them, and "one turns and looks at me mid-throw and continues to aggressively throw rocks as this man is walking away. The kid then picks up another rock as I’m shaking my head at them and throws another one, and it hits the back of his head … the man obviously turns around, and they sprinted away."

On August 5, Imperial Beach residents said to [NBC 7 San Diego][5] that a group of teens attacked and beat a man at the Dunes Park basketball court by the beach.  

Jerry V., in his 50s, played hoops on the same basketball court mentioned above. "The disrespect of these kids is unmatched. They learn this from the news and TikTok and IG, and will even film the [assault] and post it online for likes and shares. So when our teens see the beatdowns on their phones, they mimic them to feel like they are in what they call 'a movie.' It is normalized."  

About a week before the reported basketball beat down, a group of teenagers reportedly beat up a woman just north of the basketball courts as she watched the nearby waves crashing. The victim, who requested anonymity, spoke to NBC 7 San Diego and said, "I got kicked, kicked in the jaw, all my teeth are loose. It's broken up here, and there are facial bones out in here broken. My wrist is broken over here and over here. I have to have soup mostly through a straw still.”

In July, FOX 5 San Diego reported the July 5 murder of 65-year-old Michael Shook in Bonita Cove Park on West Mission Bay Drive. The San Diego Police Department said in the newscast that Daniel Ruben Martin, 18, and another teen are accused of beating and killing Shook, who was homeless.