A 15-year-old boy was violently attacked Monday evening at the Big Mall in Petah Tikva by a group of teenagers aged 14 to 17. The attackers surrounded the boy, identified only as A., punched and kicked him across his body, and some of them filmed the assault on their phones.
The videos were then spread in school WhatsApp groups, according to the report. The boy’s parents said their son became the victim of “violent, ruthless” abuse, adding that a group of youths known in the city as intimidating “recognized him in the mall and started chasing him and beating him with punches and kicks for no reason.” They said the attackers turned their son’s suffering into “content” instead of helping him or calling for assistance.
The attack took place at about 6:30 p.m. A. was taken to Beilinson Hospital with injuries to his head, ribs and hand, and was discharged home Tuesday morning still suffering pain throughout his body.
Police from the Rosh HaAyin station opened an investigation after the report and arrested several suspects overnight, all of them minors. The police said the suspects are expected to be brought before court Tuesday, where investigators will seek to extend their detention.
