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LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. - A mother is speaking out after she says her son, who has autism and musculo-skeletal deformities, was lured into a bathroom at Thunderbolt Middle School and beaten by a classmate while being filmed.
What we know:
Sheena Romaine says her son, Jaxson, was attacked on Monday, Aug. 18. She says one boy blocked the exit while another punched Jaxson and a third filmed the assault, which was later posted online as a meme.
"It’s not a joke," Romaine said. "It’s not something to make into a meme because he’s smaller, because he’s disabled."
Romaine says the video shows the aggressor repeatedly punching her son, throwing him into a counter and a urinal.
"Watching it and hearing it, hearing his head hit is heartbreaking, knowing that I could have lost him in that moment and nobody said anything to me. Nobody helped him," Romaine said.
Dig deeper:
Due to his medical condition, a blow to Jaxson’s chest could have been fatal, according to Romaine. The assault left him with a split-open head, a concussion, and severe pain.
Romaine says her son was so terrified that he fled the school, and she was shocked that no adult stopped him, even with blood pouring down his face. He later spent the weekend in the emergency room with painful headaches and nausea.
Lake Havasu City police have forwarded charges to the Mohave County Juvenile Probation Department for the juveniles involved. However, police say the incident does not rise to the level of a hate crime.
Romaine says she is pursuing legal action and wants every person involved to be held accountable. She has filed a restraining order against the main aggressor.
In a statement, Thunderbolt Middle School said it is reviewing the incident and taking appropriate steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.