Lawyers for two teenagers charged in a violent incident in Hermosa Beach allege that the teens were reacting to aggression from a 57-year-old man.
The altercation occurred on November 21 around 8 p.m. in an alley near the Hermosa Beach Pier. According to KTLA, the incident was captured on video, showing the man carrying a pizza box before being attacked by the teens. The footage, which circulated widely online, depicts the man being punched, knocked to the ground, and beaten with the pizza box. One teen was seen filming the man while he was incapacitated.
The victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, was hospitalized but later released. Two of the teens, aged 13 to 15, have been charged with felony assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Their attorneys argue that the man, described as heavily intoxicated, was the initial aggressor. Attorney Glen T. Jonas stated that the adult assaulted the minors first, while J. Patrick Carey claimed the man "aggressively confronted and attacked" the boys' 14-year-old friend. Carey emphasized that the teens' actions were in defense of their friend.
The incident has sparked significant online attention, with some residents expressing frustration over teens on e-bikes. The Hermosa Beach Police Department responded to the scene promptly and arrested two teens on November 26.
The juveniles are not being named due to a court order and are scheduled to appear in court again on January 12.