In a span of 10 minutes, a B.C. teen went from minding her own business, to being antagonized, to being beaten up.
The incident in Kelowna happened on Thursday evening, around 9 p.m., at a bus stop along Highway 97 near McCurdy Road. It also happened quite close to where an international student was brutally assaulted last week.
Read more:
‘Horrible attack’: International student assaulted near bus stop in Kelowna, B.C.
According to the teen, who Global News is not identifying, she and a friend were waiting for a bus when a group of teenagers approached and began harassing them.
“We tried to leave the situation, but one of the girls started to beat me up,” said the teen.
“She punched me in the face a few times; she was pulling my hair. Thank goodness I had my friend with me because if she hadn’t pulled the girl off of me, I don’t know how much worse I would have gotten beaten.”
The teen said they then ran away, adding the group not only took their phones, but also chased after them. However, the two were able to find some people and use their phones to call for help.
The teen said the group dispersed but that one of the attackers was trying to hide in some bushes when police arrived.
That person was reportedly arrested for assault. The teen said she did not know that person.
The teen estimated the group’s size to be between 20 and 30 people, with a couple of them recording the incident. She said her friend was also attacked and beaten.
“An arrest was made and this is still under investigation,” Kelowna RCMP told Global News. “Because of the age of those involved, we will not be making any further comments.”
The teen said she filed a police report.
“We were both shaken up. We were terrified,” said the teen. “We’re, quite honestly, pretty scared to take the bus again.”
She added because that person got arrested, “I’m sure her friends are going to be angry. With that anger, I’m not sure if it’ll be taken out on me or my friend. We’re both a little bit worried.”
The teen’s father told Global News that “finding out your daughter has been attacked by strangers – while people are videotaping the whole thing – it’s absolutely horrific.”
The father said his daughter was “very shaken up” when she got home, adding when she first contacted her parents by phone, she couldn’t speak a single sentence before being overwhelmed by emotions.
“All these fears go through her head and our head,” he said. “It was a very, very emotional evening.”
A city councillor, Mohini Singh, said the two assaults are shocking “because this does not represent Kelowna.”
She added “community safety is one of our core values, and this is something we’ve been working on. This will not be taken lightly.”