Three teenage boys have been charged after a 15-year-old autistic boy was allegedly beaten and robbed near a train station in Australia. The violent assault was recorded on video while other teenagers watched.
The attack occurred on Oct. 5 in Stawell, Victoria, after the victim was reportedly lured to the location through a Snapchat meeting arranged with two girls, Australian news outlet news.com.au reported.
Footage shows several teenagers punching and kicking the boy, forcing him to the ground and continuing to hit him as he tries to escape. One attacker then demands the victim surrender his shoes before the group lets him leave.
Stawell railway station in Victoria, Australia, near where a 15-year-old boy was allegedly attacked and robbed by a group of teenagers on Oct. 5, 2026. (Google Maps)
Victoria Police said Tuesday that detectives had charged one 14-year-old boy and two 15-year-old boys following an investigation.
Officers from the Northern Grampians Crime Investigation Unit carried out four search warrants in the region before arresting the teenagers, police said.
The three teenagers each face charges including affray, robbery, recklessly causing injury and theft. They are due to appear in a children’s court at a later date.
Police carried out four search warrants in the region before arresting the teenagers. (iStock)
A fourth boy was not present when police served the search warrants and will be interviewed as part of the continuing investigation, authorities said.
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The victim, who also has epilepsy, sustained soft-tissue injuries and possible head injuries, according to news.com.au. His mother said doctors were conducting further scans to determine whether he had suffered bleeding in his brain.
“I’m just lucky to have him alive. … He’s having nightmares,” she said.
Victoria Police officers patrol Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 29, 2026. Three teenagers were charged over an Oct. 5 assault in Stawell, Victoria. (Alexander Bogatyrev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The boy has returned home but remains afraid to go outside, his mother told the outlet.
Superintendent Dan Davison recognized the alarm the alleged attack had caused in the Stawell community and said police had been working to identify everyone involved.
“Since last Monday, local uniform police and detectives have been working tirelessly to identify those involved and hold them to account, and this important work will continue,” Davison said in a news release.
“There is never any excuse for violence in our community, and we will not accept it in any form.
“Detectives are continuing to investigate the matter, and while we are treating it as an isolated incident, additional patrols will take place across Stawell to ensure our community not only is safe but feels safe.”
Police said extra patrols would be conducted throughout Stawell as detectives continued investigating the assault.
