Man Says He Was Beaten By Teens For Trying To Stop Fight At Skate Park
FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — A Fairfield man is in the hospital after being beaten up by a group of teens.
It happened Tuesday at the Allen Whitt Skate Park, and police are still looking for the attackers. The victim is recovering from surgery and says the fight started after he tried to stop another one from breaking out.
"They're just looking for trouble," said Jimi Leo.
His mouth may be wired shut, but Leo is still smiling. A broken jaw didn't break his spirits.
"It's such a thing in society now, where they're just running around rampant, nothing to do," said Leo.
The 61-year-old Fairfield man was at Allen Whitt Skate Park on Tuesday, a place where his kids and grandkids have grown up, when he says he saw a group of teenagers surrounding and picking on a young boy.
"Fifteen to 20 kids roll up on him. They're calling him the N-word and stuff like that," said Leo, "They were going to beat him up, it was obvious."
So, Leo stepped in and said that's when then teens turned on him, first yelling.
"What are you doing here old man? Get out of here old man, it's none of your business."
Then came the punches. Video an unknown witness took of the fight also shows Leo falling to the ground at one point and then being kicked. The man admits he had drunk a couple of beers that day and also says after he was hit the first time, he did egg the teens on, asking if that's all they had.
Still, Leo's family is furious teenagers would beat up an elder.
"If you're going do this to somebody that's walking with a cane, an older gentleman, can you only imagine what they could potentially do to the boy he was sticking up for?" asked Leo's daughter Angel Blood.
Blood says she's proud her dad stuck up for the boy and stood up to the teens. She hopes they're caught soon.
"These kids need to be held accountable for what they have done," said Blood, "You just put somebody in the hospital because you decided to be a disgusting bully."
From his hospital bed, Leo, who was a victim of bullying when he was young, says he'd do it again to save any child from getting hurt.
"Absolutely. I don't think it's right at all."
Police say they are investigating the attack as a felony battery case and are looking for four male teens believed to have been involved. Anyone with information is asked to call the police.