‘Never been unconscious like that’: Teen recovers from mobbing

By Kristen Consillio

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    AIEA, Hawaii (KITV) — 15-year-old Emerson Fransen is recovering after he was brutally attacked at Pearlridge Center over the weekend.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to live. I’ve never been unconscious like that before and I was really scared,” Emerson said.

The video showed him being punched and kicked in the head by a group of teens.

His father Ben Fransen shared how he’s infuriated, “Nobody. No security. No bystanders did anything. I don’t get it. How could anybody let that happen?”

Ben said his family was at a food truck event at the mall when his son and a friend were approached by five boys who wanted money and his headphones. When he refused, they attacked.

“Got right in my son’s face and struck him in the jaw. My son pushed him back and just basically pled with him, ‘Dude come on, stop. Don’t do this,” Ben explained.

But the assaults kept going.

“He blacked out at some point after getting stomped in the head. Watching the footage back is just heartbreaking, but I’m grateful that it wasn’t worse, that he was able to walk away. All it would’ve taken is one of those kicks to strike him in the wrong part of the head and he might not have walked away,” Ben said.

Days later, Emerson’s still feeling the effects.

I threw up Saturday night while I was sleeping and my throat has been hurting to the touch, so basically everything. And I’ve been having some pretty bad migraines and headaches,” Emerson said.

The video has sparked outrage online and calls for justice.

“Nobody ever gets in trouble. Slap on the wrist that’s all they get. Slap on the wrist, send them on their way, but something has to change. We should be able to go to the Pearlridge mall and not fear for our kids,” Ben urged.

In a statement, Pearlridge said, “The safety of our guests, retailers and employees is our top priority. With our industry best practices and programs, which include our own security force on foot and in vehicles, plus camera surveillance and other modern security procedures. We are working closely with the Honolulu Police Department as they investigate this incident.”

“The most heartbreaking piece was that so many people could’ve stopped it. They just stood there and watched, didn’t do anything. They didn’t raise their voices, they didn’t yell. My son’s motionless on the floor getting kicked,” Ben said.

Ben is pleading for help identifying the kids in the video and for more security and police in public places. He hopes that no other family has to deal with the pain this traumatic incident has caused his family.

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