A worried Alexandria father is sounding the alarm after he says his teen son was attacked by other teens at a popular shopping center.
The assault occurred Monday at the Bradlee Shopping Center, which has been the scene of several other violent incidents involving teens in recent years.
The victim’s father and a council member both called on the community to play a role in keeping violence in check.
Video shared with News4 shows what happened after classes ended at Alexandria City High School, down the street from the shopping center.
The father of the teen attacked says his 15 year-old son was knocked to the ground and beaten by a group of teens. The dad said the teens may have been after his son’s backpack.
His injuries were not serious enough to require an ambulance, but they were enough to leave his father shaken. Speaking to our Telemundo 44 partner, he asked that we conceal his identify for safety reasons.
“So, my son was left there, like a scene from a movie. Because the blows were quite hard. He was kicked like that in the head, chest and hand,” the dad said in Spanish.
The father, who has lived in Alexandria for two decades, is well aware of other violent attacks at the shopping center.
A student was shot in September 2021, and in May 2022, a teen was stabbed and killed.
The father said his son’s assault was one of two attacks in recent days. He said he’s hoping that by telling his story, the community will respond.
“That’s why I’m speaking out, so that, at the very least, they follow up and change the security protocols, because, well, honestly, we’re not going to get anywhere like this. This has to stop now, because something worse is going to happen,” he said.
In recent years, more security has been added at the shopping center. Alexandria police are posted at the times students congregate. Security cameras have been mounted atop light posts.
Some businesses and restaurants don’t allow students inside during school hours.
Alexandria Council member Canek Aguirre called the latest violence troubling.
“It’s not just unfortunate; it’s extremely frustrating because this has been an issue for years here at the Bradlee Center,” he said. “When there are 50 plus people congregating in an area, even with additional security, it can still be difficult to try and monitor the situation. So, that’s why we really need the entire community to kind of step up.”
Aguirre said the schools, parents and community need to take a more active role.
“There’s a lot of things we need to do, working together as a community fully, and if some of the parents are available to hang out here at the Bradlee Center and put some additional eyes, that might be something helpful too,” he said.
He urged parents to speak to their kids and encourage them to share important information with a trusted adult at school.
Alexandria police said while they are investigating the latest attack, they are stalled because the teen victim has not provided information beyond the initial report. His father said his son’s injury and fear make it difficult for him to discuss what happened.
The boy’s father said police are in touch with Alexandria City High to try to identify the teens involved.
In a statement, Alexandria City Public Schools said even when incidents take place off school property, they
coordinate closely with Alexandria police.
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