Santa Clarita police are searching for a man seen in a viral video fighting a teenage boy outside the Hanna Savannah coffee shop in Valencia, California.
The incident transpired on Tuesday outside of the shopping complex that houses the coffee shop, where students from the Rio Norte Middle School often hang out on their way home from school. While it remains unclear what led to the scuffle, teenage witnesses told NBC Los Angeles that the man grew agitated that some of the kids were blocking the door to the convenience store.
“Some random guy walks out the door telling us to back up and starts pushing up,” said witness Sebastian Alvarado. “We didn’t take that too lightly, a few of our friends were talking back to him. He was saying he was going to beat us all up.”
Another witness said the man followed one teen across the parking lot before tackling him to the ground.
“The man tackled the kid into a car and they were like wrestling,” 12-year-old Liam Costello said. “I got to the corner and we were all screaming get off him!”
“Some people were telling him to stop,” another 12-year-old witness named Cole Martin said. “A few people were kicking him lightly sort of – trying to get him to stop – eventually he got off.”
The man in question reportedly fled the scene in a silver Toyota Tacoma before police arrived. The teen involved in the fight was not seriously injured, according to authorities.
“Very scary and sad to see something like happen,” said Kristine Costello, one parent of one of the witnesses. “A grown man attacking an 8th-grade child over who knows what! How could you be that unstable to snap like that?”
Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station.
Watch the full video below.
