This Rec Center/playground is where many of the Palisades youth grew up. During Friday and Saturday nights, some are going unchecked.
(Editor’s note: the story was updated on November 8 with a description of the youth that tasered an eighth grade girl and a photo of the taser mark.)
In a scene straight out of “Lord of the Flies,” a group of 10 to 20 youth terrorized other youth at the park on November 3 around 8:30 p.m. The high school kids chased the younger teens, and one girl was tasered.
At 7:42 p.m., the Palisades Recreation Center director called police because some youth had accessed the storage bin, while the staff was in the process of moving the Halloween supplies into the unit.
It was about that time that Seven Arrows alumni, eighth graders, walked over to the park/Palisades Recreation Center after the annual El Dia de los Muertos Festival on La Cruz was winding down. There were about nine students, including three girls.
While the eighth grade girls stayed by the courts, the boys went looking for a basketball.
Around 8:40 p.m., those eighth graders were accosted by a larger group of teens, estimated to be between 10 and 20 high school kids. Several were on e-bikes. One of the kids was in a bunny suit, which had been stolen from the Rec Center storage unit.
It was then that members of the larger group decided to chase the younger kids. When one was located, someone from the pack shouted, “I found them,” which precipitated a chase.
The group chased the eighth grade boys around the Palisades. They followed one kid to Ralph’s supermarket. The kid jumped a fence at the trash section and hid behind the cans. Three other kids also jumped a fence to get away and ran through the neighborhood.
Another kid was chased over to Pali Elementary and then ran in front of the taco truck on the street by Ralphs. The group asked him if he was one of the eighth graders and he replied, “No, I am just waiting for a taco.”
Three of the eighth graders found an adult at the park and stayed with him, while he called 911.
As the three girls got up to leave the park, a kid, described as white, with brown hair, wearing black cargo pants, long-sleeved white tee and a red beanie, tasered a girl in the back. The kid was part of the group that was with the “bunny.”
The parent is filing a police report.
It was reported that more than one of the high school kids had a taser.
A member of a private security company found a pack of boys hanging out near Ralph’s on Alma Real, but the boys deny they were involved with any chases.
The police were called and when they arrived said this was typical weekend behavior, according to parents involved.
A person at the tennis courts saw the police arrive, but assumed it was because fireworks had been set off in the lower parking lot that night, which he said is frequent occurrence.
One parent told CTN that “As concerned as we are about kids who might be victims, we are equally concerned about the kids who were involved in the pursuit— and want to ensure they get the counseling they need to be aware of the consequences of their actions before they result in injuries or arrests.”
Although public safety is not on the agenda for the Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, November 9, at the Palisades Library Community Room at 6 p.m., public comments is item #7 on the agenda.
An eighth grade girl was tasered by a high school boy at the Palisades Recreation Center Friday.
Tasering a young girl?! That is assault and battery. If they know who it is, the parents should be sued civilly for damages, that would get the parents attention since Gascon won’t do anything about it. What is happening to our lovely community. Gangs now run the park
I am friends with the girl who was tasered, and while I was not at the scene when it happened i did see the aftermath and heard about it. The photo must have been blurred in this article because the wound was much worse. She described the pain as getting burned from a straightening iron or getting burned while cooking but much more electrical. It’s been really hard for her to cope after the traumatic experience.
I am horrified! “Lord of the Flies” sounds about right. I hope you will do a follow-up story or stories and let us know how the girl is doing, if the boy has been identified/arrested, and what action parents and schools (ok, the police too) are taking to address this kind of outrageous behavior.
I sent you an email with additional facts and I’m aware a few others did as well.
A kid was chased to the Village where he was surrounded by 4 kids on motor bikes. He ran through an ally ended up by Pali Elementary where he was chased to a Taco Truck on Sunset Blvd. adjacent to Ralph’s…
The group asked him if he was one of the eighth graders and he replied, “No, I am just waiting for a taco.”