A WOMAN who filmed a group of youths assaulting and abusing an Asian man near the Patterson River boat ramp, Friday 30 September, was later assaulted by one of the alleged attackers.
The Patterson Lakes woman, 62, was using her phone to film the youths on the walking path near the boat ramp at 6.18pm when she alleges one of them walked up to her and insulted her while telling her to stop filming.
She said the youth then punched her hand, grabbed her phone and threw it over a fence. He is described as Caucasian, 17-18 years old, 183cm, dark hair, dark clothing with white writing on his T-shirt, and blue cap.
The woman suffered swelling to her hand and pain up her arm, as well as soreness to her back and neck related to a pre-existing injury.
Police patrolled for the youths but found only a T-shirt on a nearby bike path.
Several hours later, a Frankston youth, 16, staggered into a nearby supermarket claiming he had been bashed by a gang of Sudanese men in parkland near McLeod Drive. He said he was hit over the head with a baseball bat, kicked and punched.
The youth was assisted by a passer-by while he passed in and out of consciousness. The passer-by called his parents who took him to Peninsula Private Hospital.
He was treated for multiple abrasions to his neck, chest and back, “two large eggs” on the rear of his head as well as neck, hip and leg pain. He was allegedly intoxicated, had no shirt on, and was wearing the same shoes and pants as the youth who allegedly assaulted the woman near the boat ramp.
Police say “testimonies from numerous witnesses” point to him as the youth “seen climbing fences and stumbling around while running along North Shore Drive, most likely causing injuries to himself while running from police”.
The youth is expected to be summonsed on charges of recklessly and intentionally causing injury and making a false report to police.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 5 October 2016