A 14-year-old boy was attacked by four older teens at his high school on Friday after confronting a parent who made racist comments to him.
The victim, identified as freshman Dasanni Barfield, is now recovering from a broken nose and a concussion.
His mother, Cherie Barfield, is now calling on the Bay Area school to ensure the safety of its students on campus.
The boy said he was standing outside the locker room when the Dublin High School parent, reportedly the mother of a student, confronted him.
After allegedly being called the n-word, the black student went to the boys’ locker room and was then followed by the parent and four unknown people, approximately 16 to 19 years old, police said.
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The victim, identified as freshman Dasanni Barfield, is recovering from a broken nose and a concussion after he was allegedly attacked by four older teens at his high school on Friday following a confrontation with a parent.
The boy said he was standing outside the locker room when the Dublin High School parent, reportedly the mother of a student, confronted him. After he was reportedly called the n-word, the black student retreated into the boys’ locker room
“So while I’m outside, the mom says, which one of you… she’s calling…” Barfield, who is a member of the school’s soccer team, told CBS News Bay Area in an interview Tuesday while sitting next to his mother.
“N***ers.” Say what she said,” said mother Cherie.
“She called us that,” Barfield agreed. “She asked us that, with that word.”
“That’s how the mother approached him,” added his mother, who claimed her son was still shaken by the encounter.
She also said he felt uncomfortable having to pass on his (still unnamed) mother’s racist comments.
“It’s on the surveillance footage,” she insisted.
Neither the school nor police would release further details about the nature of the attack, nor did they release the identity of the victim.
He identified himself during the interview on Tuesday, after Dublin Police confirmed they are confident the attack was not random.
The young man, seen here Tuesday with his mother Cherie, was followed by the parent and four unknown people, aged approximately 16 to 19, into the locker room, where he was mercilessly beaten, police said.
“If she says that, I’m just going to walk away,” Barfield recalled of the confrontation that led to the assault. “I wouldn’t want to argue with her.”
At that point, Desanni said he saw four larger figures appear from behind him before approaching him.
He responded by retreating to the locker room, he said, before detailing the abuse that allegedly took place.
“These guys come into the locker room and ask, ‘Are you Dasanni? Are you Dasanni?’” the boy said, still visibly stressed.
“One of the guys sucker punches me. I get up, start fighting back and they all start jumping on me,” he said.
His mother, now calling for answers, added that she was “in pain from [her son] because [she doen’t] knowing how it will affect him in the future.
“The trauma that followed,” she said.
She wants an explanation from administrators after it was confirmed that a Dublin High parent was involved in the attack
She added that she was particularly concerned about the involvement of a parent from Dublin High in the attack, which police have confirmed, although they have not named those involved.
“I just can’t understand how another parent can just physically harm another child. And get away with it,” the mother complained.
“I just want my son to be safe. I want all the kids in this community to be safe,” she said. “We live here. We started a restaurant here to bring this community together.”
She said it was her son’s teammate who rushed in to stop the attack, and that there were also several other shocked bystanders.
In a letter to families, school principal Maureen Byrne wrote that she and the school board are “outraged that this has happened on our campus.
“School should be a place where everyone feels safe and supported,” she said.
The four teenagers involved were not named but were between 16 and 19 years old, police said. It was not immediately clear whether they were students.
Byrne added that the lead-up to the attack and its aftermath were captured on video. Police said all four juvenile suspects were wearing hooded hoodies.
Police say they have identified some of the people involved, including the parent.
Police and ambulance arrived on the scene after the school’s football coach, former Oakland Raiders player Napoleon Kaufman, also rushed to help the boy.
Police and paramedics arrived on the scene after the school’s football coach, former Oakland Raiders player Napoleon Kaufman, also jumped in to help the boy, officials said. An investigation is ongoing
Dublin Police Chief Nate Schmidt said his department has not made any arrests and officers are still interviewing witnesses.
Dublin Police said evidence is being gathered to determine the motive for the attack and how the victim, suspects and parents at Dublin High School all knew each other.
Meanwhile, Barfield will miss his first football game as a freshman.
“Football has been his everything since he was seven,” his mother said, as police continue to investigate what exactly happened
‘And that he can’t play in the starting line-up… I wish I could make it easy for him, but I can’t.’
She wants a statement from the administrators, she said.
Police are still investigating the incident.