Video shows 4 teens ambush, rob 12-year-old California boy



ELK GROVE, Calif. – Police arrested four teenage suspects Monday afternoon after a surveillance video showed them attacking a boy and stealing his shoes and cell phone.

On Monday, the 12-year-old boy recalled last Friday when a neighbor's security video showed him being attacked by a group of teens in Elk Grove, California.

"I thought I would, like, get murdered because I didn’t know if they have a weapon or not," the boy told KTXL.

The eighth-grader says he was biking home from school on Swann Way when he was followed by the teens. One of the suspects asked him what kind of phone he had then the attack began.

In the video, three more teenagers are seen rushing the boy from different directions. As one of the teenage boys runs up he appears to violently kick the 12-year-old in the head.

The teenagers hit the boy as they drag him by his backpack and pull off his shoes.

But the young victim was not the only one who saw the robbery.

"I saw the car proceed to follow the kid," said the 16-year-old witness. "I just saw the way they were looking at him and the discomfort on his face."

The witness says he was in the neighborhood visiting a friend at the time.

"So then I hopped out of my vehicle and started honking and yelled. And walked towards them all to stop it from happening," he recalled.

It worked. The video shows the suspects jump back into their car before taking off.

The 12-year-old, who is relatively OK, says the witness saved him. He said he had no idea how much longer the attack may have carried on.

"If he didn’t honk his car they may have done worse," the boy said.

"I thought, like, what if it was one of my family members? I want them to do that for my family, so I thought I would just return the favor," the witness explained.

The Elk Grove Police Department reported the arrests Monday, saying three 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy were taken into custody on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy. One of the teenagers was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. They have all been booked at the Sacramento County Juvenile Hall.