EXCLUSIVE: Teen allegedly attacked by a stranger at Date Festival
The mother of a San Jacinto teen is speaking out after she says her son was attacked by a stranger at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival in Indio.
"It's pretty tragic. You feel helpless. you want to find out how this happened, why this happened," said Lora Wood, the mother of the victim.
According to Wood, her 17-year-old son underwent a 6-hour surgery and now has several plates in his face.
Wood says her son went to the Date Festival on Tuesday with his girlfriend. Moments after taking a photo at the fair, an unknown man suddenly punched her son in the face and knocked him to the ground.
"And he proceeded to sit on sean and wail at him. enough to cause multiple fractures in his face," Wood said.
Wood says she does not know what exactly prompted the attack but believes there was some type of yelling incident involving her son and a group of strangers. She says she is frustrated the attacker got away and believes there wasn't enough done to protect her son.
"More security, cameras. Something that we can prevent this from happening to somebody else," Wood said.
News Channel 3 reached out to officials at the Date Festival for answers, including if there was any security video of the incident but they referred us to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department gave us a short statement that reads in part:
"The case is still open and being investigated. As far as cameras being at the location, if there is any video surveillance of the incident, it will be used for investigative purposes."
The Wood family expects him to make a full recovery at Desert Regional Medical Center but right now they have only a vague description of his attacker. They are asking anyone with information to come forward.
"No one should have to go through this. Your kid should be able to go to a fair, should be able to go have a good time with his friends and not worry about something like this," Wood said.
If you have any information, call Valley Crimestoppers at 760- 341-STOP. Tips can remain anonymous and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
