Teen, 16, who was arrested after mob of 40 attacked three Marines will be tried ... trends now
A 16-year-old who was part of the mob of 40 people who attacked two Marines during a beach party will be tried as an adult, the teen's family told the New York Post.
The assault, which was captured in a now-viral video, happened shortly before 10 p.m. Friday in the city of San Clemente near Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base.
The 16-year-old was one of five teens - four boys and one girl - who got arrested on Tuesday for assault with a deadly weapon.
It's unclear why the teen will be charged as an adult and if the other teens will also be charged as adults.
Video circulating online showed the victims, Marine Hunter Antonino and two other unnamed servicemen, getting kicked on the ground until a woman and a man broke it up.
The 16-year-old who was one of five teens - four boys and one girl - who got arrested on Tuesday for assault with a deadly weapon for attacking three marines, will be charged as an adult
Antonino told KCAL the fight began when he told the teens to stop lighting fireworks
Police initially found two victims but then determined a third Marine was also attacked, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Recent footage emerged calling into question the innocence of the three Marines involved.
The video shows the teen provoking the servicemen who are seen staggering about San Clemente beach topless clutching bottles of beer on Friday night.
One of the servicemen lashes out at the teens, dropping his bottle of beer in the process, and has to be restrained by his comrade as the kids continue to goad them while filming on their phones.
Nine teens have since been arrested over the attack which saw the servicemen kicked repeatedly as they lay on the ground, leaving at least one of them concussed.
The assault on the Marines has been widely condemned, including by the local mayor, particularly as it fell on Memorial Day weekend.
The Marines say they were assaulted after confronting the group over letting off fireworks.
But footage taken prior to the all out brawl shows Marine Hunter Antonino drinking around a number of the teenagers and openly conversing with them, all the while clutching a bottle of whiskey.
On Tuesday, Orange County Sheriff's Department confirmed they had charged four boys and one girl with assault with a deadly weapon and they would be held in juvenile hall.
Another four have also been charged
