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A Riverside high school freshman is beaten on video. Parents ask why no one has been arrested

A profile of a teen boy with bruises on his cheek and forehead.
The 14-year-old freshman at Patriot High School was viciously beaten as he lay on the ground in the school’s parking lot.
(Courtesy of Angel Payan)
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A shocking video of a vicious beatdown in the parking lot of a Riverside high school has not resulted in any arrests, angering the parents of the victim, who feel the episode is being swept under the rug.

A 14-year-old freshman was assaulted outside Patriot High School in Jurupa Valley just after school let out last Wednesday by at least three attackers, who can be seen in the video kicking, hitting and stomping on the teen as he lies helpless on the ground.

Despite clear video of the incident, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has not made an arrest in the case, and the school district did not address the shocking footage until Tuesday — after KTLA published a report on the incident.

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“We’re taking it pretty hard as parents,” said Angel Payan, the father of the boy who was attacked. “To see your son in the situation he was in was very painful.”

The Times is not naming the boy because he is a minor.

Payan said the beating arose from a dispute related to his son’s ex-girlfriend, whom he had posted about on social media. Following his posts, the 14-year-old began to receive threats on Instagram from strangers who did not attend his high school, Payan said.

The day of the incident, Payan’s son received a message from someone on Instagram informing him that he was at Patriot High School, Payan said.

Video of the incident shows the trio of attackers brutalizing the teen, who is on the ground from the start of the footage. Numerous bystanders watch from the side as the beating occurs. The child’s father said one of the attackers had a knife, although the boy was not cut by the knife.

Payan said he was informed the same day by the principal that his son was the victim of the attack. When he saw his child, the boy was covered in bruises all over his head.

“He had a lot of knots in his head. The knots, the impact blows all to his head. His head looked like a cranberry. His nose was all beaten,” Payan said.

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VIDEO | 00:23
Riverside high school freshman beaten on video

A 14-year-old freshman at Patriot High School was beaten as he lay on the ground in the school’s parking lot.

Despite that, Payan said that his son did not receive medical attention on scene and that a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy shirked responsibility for the incident, saying it occurred after classes were done for the day.

Payan says he has not heard back from the Sheriff’s Department after filing a report.

It took the school six days to send a message informing parents of what took place.

“You may have seen reports about an incident that took place after school in the parking lot at Patriot High School last week. We want to assure you that student safety is our highest priority, and we are cooperating with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to fully investigate this matter,” said an email from the Jurupa Unified School District.

The Sheriff’s Department said in a press release Tuesday that they were investigating the incident, but offered no more details or information about an arrest.

Payan’s son returned to Patriot High School on Tuesday for the first time since the beating.

“He is somewhat scared. He’s a very tough kid,” Payan said of his son, who is a Varsity football player.

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But despite his toughness, it’s now hard for his son to be alone.

“As long as he’s with somebody, he don’t feel scared. If he’s alone he’ll start shivering and shaking,” Payan said.

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