Three young boys were arrested after witnesses told California police they were assaulting a homeless man on Saturday.
The Long Beach Police Department said that they were called to downtown Long Beach near Pacific Avenue and 1st Street over a call of assault with a deadly weapon.
Police said the three boys had gotten into a verbal altercation with the homeless man at about 6:25 p.m. and then began to beat him with tent poles and a tripod. They also allegedly threw objects at the man.
As officers arrived, the juveniles ran away from the scene, but police said they were able to identify them and detain them.
Video showed police putting the smallest of the boys, who was 12 years old, in handcuffs and into a police cruiser. The other two boys were reportedly 14 years old and 15 years old.
The three are facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a crime. Their identities were not released due to their ages.
The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries to his upper body. He was treated by paramedics and declined to be taken to a hospital.
The homeless crisis is worsening in California, where it’s considered the worst in the nation, according to some reports. The Golden State accounts for the largest homeless population in the nation, which some estimates put at 30% of the homeless population.
That crisis has led to crime by homeless people and against homeless people. In one recent alarming incident, a homeless man allegedly punched a 6-year-old without provocation in the middle of the day in Santa Monica. She was not seriously injured, and the man was arrested after a second assault on a 7-year-old child.
Christina Tullock, a friend of the family of the 6-year-old who was assaulted, issued a warning to those wanting to visit California for fun.
“Don’t come to Venice or Los Angeles, it’s not safe if you have children or elderly people with you,” said Tullock to KTTV-TV. “Don’t come visit us, it is not under control.”
The average home in Long Beach sells for about $840k according to Zillow.
Here’s a local news report about the incident:
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