Coming home to injured children on Halloween night is every parent's nightmare, but one Steveston father had to live it this year.
"Jack" (the Richmond News is withholding the father’s name to protect the identity of the youth) is speaking out after his 14-year-old son and 22-year-old daughter were allegedly attacked while out on Oct. 31.
Jack’s son and daughter were walking near Lord Byng elementary around 8 p.m., wearing costumes, when a group of seven to 10 people allegedly assaulted them.
Jack told the News the group started harassing his children and hurled verbal insults after their costume masks came off.
“They kept harassing them and even calling them the ‘N’ word because they’re dark (skinned),” said Jack.
“How can we tolerate these kinds of things?”
His children tried to defuse the situation by telling the group to back off and walking away, but the group allegedly began “pushing them towards oncoming traffic on No. 1 Road," explained Jack.
“To me, their intent was to hurt them,” he said, adding he felt a mix of anger, shock and concern.
The 14-year-old and 22-year-old were both allegedly punched in the head, face and upper body, according to Jack.
A doctor later confirmed both had soft-tissue damage to their necks, with a warning that possible concussions could develop.
Jack’s son identified two individuals in the group as students who attended his high school.
“My son is terrified to go back to school. Even though he is hesitant to go back to school, his confidence is shattered.
“He’s an awesome kid inside and out, helping others and is empathetic. To see him lose all his confidence and love for people, I’m hurting right now. I’m angry.”
Jack and his wife visited the school to meet with the principal, who assured them the two students, who were identified in the incident, and their parents would be spoken to.
“The principal told us these students would not be allowed to contact my son in any way."
However, since the incident happened outside school hours and off school grounds, staff cannot do much more.
“Never in my years of living in Richmond did I ever think this would happen so close to home," he said.
“I want to share this incident with Richmond families and the community that these kind of things can happen. We need to know and talk about the safety of our children.”
Cpl. Adriana O’Malley, spokesperson for the Richmond RCMP, confirmed with the News a file has been opened regarding this incident and officers are actively investigating it.
“In order to protect the integrity of the investigation, no further information will be provided at this time,” said O’Malley.
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