Orange County woman hospitalized after being attacked by a group of kids in Target
Paramedics rushed an Orange County mother to the hospital after a group of middle schoolers attacked her in an apparent social media challenge.
"Well, I was leaning down and all of a sudden my vision went dark," said Tustin resident Lana Clay. "It went dark because someone did this to me."
According to Clay, she was inside the Target at the District shopping center Sunday afternoon when someone put a bucket over her head, causing her to faint and fall to the ground. Police are looking for the suspects, who officers described as middle-school-aged kids. Officers believed they were likely copying a social media challenge.
"I started freaking out and immediately," said Clay, who battled cancer for many years as a child and now has epilepsy. "I was screaming ... I turned over my left shoulder and looked and it was children filming and laughing."
Clay said she fell once the bucket went over her head and a shopper who saw the boys run away called 911. Paramedics took Clay to the emergency room. Doctors said she had a heart issue as a result of the shock she experienced in the store, Clay said. Tustin police obtained video from Target's security cameras.
"They went to the interior decorator area," said Tustin Police Department Lt. Ryan Coe. They picked up a bucket. They're kind of tossing it around, walking around. They do go into a baby section aisle It does go off-camera, but we're able to see all four go into the aisle with a bucket. Several seconds later, they came running out with no bucket and ran out of the story.
Clay posted details of the alleged assault on a handful of websites and asked for help finding the group of boys who did this to her.
"So this is filled and so for someone to stand there when I'm incapacitated — film and run away — that's a different act," said Clay.
