SANTEE, Calif. — A San Diego mom said her son and his friends were attacked in Santee over the weekend for protesting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The incident, which was captured on video, happened Sunday at a shopping center on Mission Gorge and Cuyamaca.
The mom News 8 spoke with said her son was attacked for being Hispanic. Cell phone video captured the moments leading to the altercation.
In the video, you can see a group of white men. The person filming was an 18-year-old Hispanic man.
Seconds after the video ends, he was beat up, suffering several facial injuries.
"He has fractures in his face. He needs surgery to put a plate under his eyelid and on his cheek," his mother told News 8.
The 18-year-old's mom, who asked News 8 not to use her name, said her son, his friend, and his friend's girlfriend were all attacked.
She said they were in Santee for a Black Lives Matter protest when the men approached, asking if they were part of the anti-fascist group Antifa, and if they were there to loot
"They explained to them were just peacefully protesting," she said.
One of the men allegedly said something disrespectful to the young woman with them. When her boyfriend told him to stop, things got out of hand.
“They do not have the right to go into the street and act like militiamen," the mother said.
News 8 has received several emails about the incident, and the group of men involved. Some have reported them as being white supremacists, terrorizing protesters.
But, one business owner News 8 spoke with off-camera defended the men, and said they're protecting the area, which has been the focal point of protests and law enforcement activity over the past few nights.
"I absolutely believe it's the few versus the many. The few, I don’t have tolerance for your behavior," Santee Mayor John Minto said.
Minto said based on videos he's seen, the men were in the wrong.
He also acknowledged the racial tension that exists in Santee, noting recent incidents involving someone wearing a KKK hood inside a Vons, as well as a man seen with a swastika on his face mask.
Minto said something needs to change.
“If we don't work on it right now, we're not gonna make any progress," he said.
Regarding Sunday’s incident, no arrests have been made.
“I wanna speak out about this because I feel if we stay quiet, those men are gonna think they won," said the teen's mom.
She also said she wants to take legal action.