Two 13-year-old boys were arrested Friday after allegedly attacking a California dad in his jacuzzi for a TikTok stunt.
Greg Medina, 48, of San Bernardino, California, was sitting in his jacuzzi on Aug. 14 when the teens approached him from behind, authorities said. One delivered a hard kick to the back of Medina’s head while the other snatched his iPhone from the concrete beside the tub. The boys never spoke to him, Medina told The California Post. They simply laughed.
“They thought it was funny to do this to me,” Medina said.
The attack was captured on surveillance video, which showed the unprovoked ambush in full. Medina said the teens took his phone so he would be unable to call police. They later ditched the device somewhere after fleeing the scene. The phone, which cost more than $1,000, had been newly paid off. His AirPods were also lost in the chaos, and his glasses were broken during the assault.
The kick sent Medina to the emergency room with a concussion. He was later diagnosed with “post-concussion syndrome” and continues to suffer from headaches and dizziness. The 48-year-old works full time as a chef for Lutheran Social Services, preparing meals for roughly 70 to 75 homeless men in San Bernardino. His shifts start at 5 a.m. And typically end around 1 or 2 p.m. He is also a full-time father to his 12-year-old daughter, Emmy.
After a long day of work, the jacuzzi was supposed to be his chance to unwind. Instead, Medina was left injured, robbed and facing a recovery that has kept him away from work. He had to miss work Friday and said he would miss Saturday as well.
The breakthrough in the case came when one of the suspects’ fathers reached out to Medina on Facebook and told him his son was involved in the Aug. 14 attack. The father then took the boy to jail and turned him in. Medina later met both teens, their fathers and other family members at the jail. The boys apologized, and Medina shook hands with them.
“They were very respectful, the fathers were very respectful as well,” Medina told The California Post.
Medina said he later learned the teens had been trying to film something for TikTok when they attacked him.
“I was glad to get an answer, but disappointed TikTok was the reason.”
Reflecting on the impact of the attack, Medina said, “You’re doing this and you’re not realizing that there’s a real person behind this.”
The teen accused of delivering the kick was booked into Juvenile Hall on robbery and battery charges. The other teen was booked on robbery charges. Neither suspect has been identified because they are minors. Both boys were turned in by their parents.
For Medina, their arrests brought peace of mind.
“I don’t have to worry about them being out on the streets now, there is a sense of relief from that.”