A woman says a man choked and slapped her 14-year-old son, and his 17-year-old brother who defended him, at the YMCA in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood.
Boston police are searching for a man accused of assaulting two teenagers at a YMCA in Brighton Wednesday afternoon.
The victims' mother says her 14-year-old son was attacked after a basketball game, and his 17-year-old brother was also hurt standing up for him.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Police say the 21-year-old man responsible ran off after the incident on Washington Street around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
"My son said that he squeezed his neck so hard that he ripped his skin off the neck, and then he slapped my son," said Sylvia Lopez.
She received a call from the Oak Square YMCA shortly after the incident.
"This was a grown man," Lopez said. "He said, 'He was a big grown man, I couldn't do nothing.'"
She says her older son tried to help his brother by throwing a basketball at the attacker's head.
"So he threw the ball at the man, so he could let my son go, and then he turned around and he smacked my other son in the face," Lopez said.
The assault happened while the teens and the adult were playing basketball during open gym time.
"My son was trying to block his throw, and I guess the man got upset, and then he said something to my son," Lopez said. "And then my son said something to him, and then he grabbed my son by the neck."
The teens were treated on scene after the man fled.
"The cops said, you know, 'We're going to look for him, we know who he is, but we can't give you that information,'" Lopez said. "And I said, 'I don't want that information, I just want you guys to do your job.'"
No arrests have been made. The family says they want to press charges.
NBC10 Boston reached out to the YMCA, which said it is working with police and taking all steps necessary to resolve the matter.
