Thread: N.M. Video shows 14-year-old boy getting knocked out while at Coronado Mall

Video shows 14-year-old boy getting knocked out while at Coronado Mall

Created: 11/26/2013 10:12 PM
By: Caleb James, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Shocking cell phone video obtained by KOB Eyewitness News 4 shows a vicious assault on a teenager inside Albuquerque's Coronado Mall.
The victim is a 14-year-old boy who tells KOB he was targeted partially because he's gay.

Now, the boy assaulted in the video has actually been banned from the mall for fighting.

When you see this video, and hear the story in 14-year-old Issaic's own words, you may be asking yourself why he's being punished at all.

"My friends just told me, you know, walk," said Issaic, as he watches the cell video. "Next thing I know, I'm laying out on the floor."

The video is less than 20 seconds long, but it's hard to watch.

14-year-old Issaic is violently punched in the back of the head in the middle of Coronado Mall by a 16-year-old acquaintance.

Issaic says he had an argument online with a female friend. That's when the other teen started making threats.

"Whenever he wanted to fight me he was calling me a (gay slur) and a queer and everything," he said.

When the teens found themselves both at Cornado Mall on the same Saturday, words were exchanged.

APD confirms they were asked to leave.

But as Issaic walked toward the door, the 16-year-old boy in the video attacks him.

"He just didn't like me being gay," said Issaic."I'm used to it, but I'm just like, 'Why would you want to fight someone over that.'"

An APD officer inside the mall talked to the boys. Both boys were ordered by Coronado management not to return to the mall for a year.

"They said I got banned for fighting, but I didn't even fight. I just got hit," said Issaic.

Issaic decided not to press charges. But the friends of the boy who punched him in the video turned around and posted it online.

"He hit me, he posted it, he thought it was funny, and whenever it actually goes viral, then he wants to try to be my friend again," said Issaic.

Issaic says he wants to speak out, because this time, life really is unfair.

He wants to be allowed back at Coronado, and hopes mall management will reconsider banning him from the mall.

"It shouldn't happen, but it did," said Issaic. "I can't change it, I mean, it's life."

KOB reached out to the Coronado Mall general manager throughout the day Tuesday and asked if we could show him our copy of the video to see if it would change anything about banning Issaic.

KOB has not heard back from Coronado yet.

VIDEO @ http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S...4#.UpY-OcRDs-k

Before I opened the article to read it, I said to myself it happened in ABQ. ABQ is now a dangerous place to live. Sad.