Police: Ceres Boy Attacked, Bullied Online, Had Home Vandalized

CERES (CBS13) - A group of teens is facing serious charges after assault and cyber bullying incidents in Ceres, police say.

The teens have been on the radar of the Ceres Police Department since the beginning of the year. Back on Jan. 10, police say a teen boy confronted by four boys while was walking through the Punjab Plaza near South Central and Pine streets. The boy tried to run away, but the group chased him down and started punching and kicking him.

The teen suffered a swollen right cheek, a swollen eye and a cut to his knee that required staples.

Officers arrested a 15-year-old and three 14-year-old boys after the incident was reported. The four were arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon due to using their feet during the fight, police say.

It wasn't the end of the group's alleged tormenting of the teen, however.

The teen reportedly began to face a series of progressively threatening harassment on social media. First, the teen started getting some threatening messages on Snapchat, including one where the boys said they knew where he lived. Then the 15-year-old who was already arrested for the earlier incident posted a video of him and other busy in a car.

Early the next morning, the teen's family were awakened by someone breaking their window. The boy's mother got in a car and followed the boys and was able to identify the teens and the same ones from the video.

Officers later arrested three 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old boy - including the 15-year-old boy already arrested for the previous incident. The original 15-year-old admitted he had snuck out of his house and vandalized the teen's home, police say.

Police hope the incident encourages parents to monitor their children's actions on social media.