Two 13-year-old boys have been arrested in San Bernardino, California, for allegedly attacking a man in his jacuzzi and stealing his iPhone as part of a TikTok stunt. The incident occurred on August 14, and the suspects were turned in by their parents. Authorities booked one teen on robbery and battery charges, and the other on robbery charges.
The victim, Greg Medina, was relaxing in his jacuzzi when one of the minors approached from behind and kicked him in the back of the head. The second suspect then took Medina's iPhone from the concrete. The teens fled the scene laughing and did not speak to Medina during the assault.
Medina sustained a concussion from the kick and was taken to the emergency room. He has since been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and continues to experience headaches and dizziness, which have caused him to miss work. The stolen iPhone, which Medina had recently finished paying off, cost over $1,000. His AirPods were also lost and his glasses were broken.
One of the suspect's fathers learned of his son's involvement and contacted Medina via Facebook. He then took his son to jail and reported him to the authorities. Medina later met with both teenagers, their fathers, and other family members at the jail, where the boys apologized. Medina reportedly shook hands with the teens and their fathers, who he described as respectful.
Medina stated he was disappointed that the incident was motivated by TikTok. "You’re doing this and you’re not realizing that there’s a real person behind this," he said.
The suspects, who are minors, have not been publicly identified. Medina expressed a sense of relief following their arrests, stating, "I don’t have to worry about them being out on the streets now, there is a sense of relief from that."