Wild video shows the moment a group of self-identified US Marines were savagely beaten by as many as 40 teenagers after service members confronted them about their unruly behavior on a California beach.
The victims said they were simply walking along the beach in San Clemente, California when they were attacked by a massive mob of teenagers around 10 p.m. Friday night.
Chilling video posted online showed two victims curled up in a fetal position on the ground as the crowd continued to kick them, hurling profanity and racial slurs. A third marine was also attacked but does not appear in the footage.
The men suffered minor injuries and declined to be transported to a local hospital afterward, Orange County sheriff’s deputies said.
Two US Marines were seen in footage being assaulted by a mob of teenagers along a California beach over Memorial Day weekend
Crowds kicked the self-proclaimed Marines on Friday night after the men confronted the teens about their behavior in San Clemente, Calif.
Hunter Antonio, one of the self-proclaimed Marines, told KCAL the fight started when he told the teenagers to stop lighting fireworks.
Police are investigating the horrific attack and the unidentified teenagers could all soon face assault with a deadly weapon charges for being beaten.
In the roughly minute-long video posted to Facebook, the plainclothes Marines were seen trying to climb the steps outside the Pier Bowl as a group of teenagers shouted at them.
As they approached the stairs, a teenager was seen brutally punching the back of one of the Marines’ head.
The Marine spun around and charged at the assailant, which led to an all-out fight, as the teen’s friends all jumped up to take swings and kick the Marine.
Within a second, the group circled around the two Marines shouting “Get that f***er” and “f*** that f***er up,” even using the N-word at one point.
As the cameraman got closer to the unfolding scene, two of the victims were seen curled up on the ground as the group continued to kick them with vicious kicks.
The fight only ended after two passers-by, an unknown man and woman, intervened and shouted at the children: “Stop, what are you doing?
It’s still unclear what happened before the video, but Hunter Antonio, one of the self-proclaimed Marines, said KCAL the fight started when he asked the teenagers to stop lighting fireworks.
The fight only ended when two unidentified bystanders intervened and yelled at the teenagers
According to Orange County officials, the two men suffered only minor injuries such as a hand injury, scrapes to their knees and pain in their abdomen, chest and head. They refused to receive medical treatment at the scene
Antonio said he and his Marine friend were enjoying rare moments away from Camp Pendleton in Oceanside over Memorial Day weekend when the crowds started lighting the fireworks.
When a piece of debris hit him in the face, Antonio said he politely asked them to leave.
“They were setting off fireworks, they were pushy and rude and annoying, so I went up to them and told them to stop,” he said.
But the group followed him to the pier, at which point Antonio said he and his friend warned the teenagers they were Marines “so they would leave, but they didn’t”.
Ultimately, according to Orange County officials, both men suffered only minor injuries such as a hand injury, scrapes to their knees and pain in their abdomen, chest and in the head.
It is believed that there were up to 40 teenagers involved in the assault, but the Marines suffered only minor injuries
The vicious attack began outside the Pier Bowl as Marines in their civilian clothes began to climb the steps
Antonio, however, fears he also has a concussion.
“My face still has blood on it,” he said. “That wasn’t cool at all.”
Arrests have yet to be made in the brutal attack as Orange County sheriff’s deputies continue their investigation.
The suspects could be charged with assault with a deadly weapon “due to the number of suspects we are investigating,” said Sheriff Sgt. said Franck Gonzalez.
“The weapons that were used were their feet while these victims were on the ground,” he explained.
“So regardless of whether the victims choose prosecution or choose medical treatment, the sheriff’s department will investigate to the maximum and try to determine who the suspects are.”
San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan called the Memorial Day weekend attack “tragic.”
“This is San Clemente, Marines are always welcome here, will always be celebrated, always cared for, and that’s why it’s so especially tragic,” he said.
