WARNING: This story contains a graphic description of an attack.
A violent attack on a teenage girl that was caught on video by multiple people in Kelowna, B.C., has prompted her father to come forward, demanding answers and justice.
Kelowna RCMP say the attack happened on Friday night, and that the video has been circulating “widely” online in the southern Interior community, around 270 kilometres east of Vancouver in B.C.’s Okanagan.
RCMP say the attack happened in the area of Boyce-Gyro Beach Park and was one of several incidents of youth committing criminal offences, including assault and mischief, in the area.
In the video, a number of teenagers are seen to attack the girl, including throwing dirt on her. (Submitted)
CBC News has reviewed the video. It involves a single girl being surrounded by a number of other teenagers, many of whom are appearing to film a verbal altercation.
The girl is thrown to the ground and punched in the head by multiple people, after which she has dirt or sand thrown on her.
As the girl lies on the ground, not moving after the attack, a number of others continue to throw dirt at her and yell.
The father of the 13-year-old victim — whom CBC News is not naming — said his daughter suffered a concussion in the attack and is facing a long road ahead when it comes to her mental recovery.
“I wish I didn’t watch that video. That was the most brutal beating that I can never unsee,” he told CBC News. “[It] replays in my head from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to sleep.”
The girl’s father says the victim was lured to the park by a friend, who left shortly before the attack began at around 8:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
“Look at that video and tell me where there’s any remorse. And then kids taping it, laughing and spitting on my daughter,” the girl’s father said. “They know nothing is going to happen to them.”
Call for consequences
The victim’s father is asking for the perpetrators of the attack — which he called a “swarming” — to face the full extent of the criminal justice system.
“You’re telling me that you’re going to have these kids take an eight-hour course on bullying, and they’ll be fine?” he asked.
“They need to be behind bars or on house arrest so that their parents can get sick of them instead of them beating up other kids.”
The victim of the attack had just started high school, according to her father, with the family having moved to the southern Interior only three years ago.
For the father, the violent attack is a symptom of a major bullying problem in Kelowna, something he says is harming the community’s reputation.
“I’m getting messages from parents who have teens that this happened to recently … and they’ve moved their teens, and they’re still getting bullied by these kids,” he said.
“Parents are having to move their kids away from Kelowna because they don’t feel safe, and nobody’s going to do anything about it.”
People walk on Boyce-Gyro Beach Park on Aug. 12, 2023. (Winston Szeto/CBC)
The father is asking for Kelowna’s mayor to meet with him, saying his daughter deserved to know what officials were doing to make the city safe to walk around in.
A statement from Sgt. Laura Pollock with Kelowna RCMP says filming or posting video online for the purpose of humiliating another person is “unacceptable,” and video showing evidence of a crime should not be circulated publicly.
RCMP is asking anyone with information about the assault, including any witnesses who have yet to speak with investigators, to come forward to police.
CBC News has contacted the mayor’s office for comment.