For critics of TikTok, this is exactly the kind of viral stunt that fuels their frustration with the platform.
Two 13-year-old boys were arrested Friday after authorities say they disrupted a California father’s quiet soak in a jacuzzi, with one teen allegedly kicking him in the back of the head while the other grabbed his iPhone.
In an unusual turn, the teens were ultimately turned over to police by their own parents.
Greg Medina, the victim in the Aug. 14 incident in San Bernardino, said the father of one of the boys contacted him first through Facebook, explaining that his son had been involved in the attack.
The father then brought the teenager to jail and surrendered him to authorities.
Medina later encountered both boys at the jail, along with their fathers and other relatives.
The teenagers apologized for what happened, and Medina responded by shaking their hands.
“They were very respectful, the fathers were very respectful as well,” Medina told The California Post.
Medina said he later learned the teens had been trying to film something for TikTok when they attacked him.
According to Medina, they took his phone so he would not be able to call the police.
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“I was glad to get an answer, but disappointed TikTok was the reason.”
The attack was captured on surveillance video.
Medina was sitting in the jacuzzi when one of the teens approached from behind and delivered a hard kick to the back of his head.
The second boy then reached down and grabbed Medina’s phone from the concrete.
The teens never said anything to him, Medina said. They laughed.
“They thought it was funny to do this to me.”
The boys also laughed as they ran away.
Medina never got his phone back.
The teens ditched his new iPhone somewhere after taking it, he said.
The phone cost more than $1,000, and Medina had just finished paying it off.
His AirPods were also lost, while his glasses were broken during the attack.
The kick sent Medina to the emergency room with a concussion.
He was later diagnosed with “post-concussion syndrome” and continues to suffer from headaches and dizziness.
The 48-year-old has also had to miss work and lose money while recovering.
Medina works full time as a chef for Lutheran Social Services, preparing meals for roughly 70 to 75 homeless men in San Bernardino. His workday starts at 5 a.m. and typically ends around 1 or 2 p.m.
He is also a full-time father to his 12-year-old daughter, Emmy.
After a long day of work, the jacuzzi was supposed to be his chance to unwind.
Instead, Medina was left injured, robbed and facing a recovery that has kept him away from work.
He had to miss work Friday and said he would miss Saturday as well.
Reflecting on the impact of the attack, Medina said, “You’re doing this and you’re not realizing that there’s a real person behind this.”
The teen accused of delivering the kick was booked into Juvenile Hall on robbery and battery charges.
The other teen was booked on robbery charges.
Neither suspect has been identified because they are minors.
For Medina, their arrests brought peace of mind.
“I don’t have to worry about them being out on the streets now, there is a sense of relief from that.”
