[LASD] – Seven attackers associated with an assault that occurred near Cactus Middle School in Palmdale on March 14, 2012 were arrested Wednesday by Palmdale Sheriff’s Station detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The 15-year old Hispanic victim in this assault was walking home from school near the 3200 Block of East Avenue R-8, when a group of up to ten male Black juveniles approached him and challenged him to a fight. The suspects surrounded the victim and began punching him while several other juveniles watched.

The victim continued to defend himself from the group of suspects until he fell to the ground. The suspects continued to assault him by punching and kicking him in the face and head. The victim was finally able to get to his feet and escape the onslaught of the attackers.

After arriving home, the victim was treated at a local hospital for multiple kicks to his head resulting in swelling and shoe impressions left in his skin. The victim is also undergoing surgery to repair several of his teeth which were kicked out during the attack.

Palmdale Sheriff’s Station detectives released these details about the case on March 23, 2012 in an attempt to identify the attackers involved. On Wednesday March 28, 2012, Sheriff’s detectives detained seven juveniles who were identified in the video depicting the assault on youtube, which was discovered by a Palmdale sheriff’s deputy and copied for evidence. The video has since been taken off of youtube by the person who posted it. The video is not being released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The juvenile suspects are residents of Palmdale whose ages range from 13 to 16. They were arrested for felony charges of Assault with Force Likely to Cause Great Bodily Injury and Committing a Hate Crime.

Deputies would like to thank the members of the community who notified the station with leads to assist detectives in identifying the suspects. The ongoing investigation will be handled by the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station Detective Bureau, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Palmdale Sheriff’s Station investigators at 661-272-2400. Partner to prevent or report crime by contacting your local sheriff’s station. Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

“Deputies continue to work closely with area schools to educate youth about respect for others,” said Lieutenant Don Ford, Palmdale Sheriff’s Station. “We are already working with local schools to increase the availability of the LASD SHARE Tolerance program. It is a multi-faceted program for combating hate and intolerance in our communities.”