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GLENDALE, Ariz. – A Phoenix area teen’s day at the mall took a dark turn when he was assaulted by other teenagers who went after his shoes.
What we know:
Nicole Winfree said she and her son, Brady, moved to the Valley from Ohio just a few months ago, and it’s already been a difficult adjustment for him, but soon after dropping him off at the Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale to hang out with friends, she got a call from police saying he’d been assaulted.
Winfree said Brady was in a department store with friends when another teen attacked him seemingly out of nowhere. The police report says the suspect knocked him to the ground and hit him multiple times, then tried to take his shoes.
The teen was reportedly not successful in his attempt to take the shoes, but did get away at the time. The suspect, according to Glendale Police, was arrested on Friday. The teen reportedly admitted to the whole thing, confirming that his motivation was to take the shoes.
Dig deeper:
Winfree says the shoes were made to look like Balenciaga sneakers, which cost more than a thousand dollars, but they weren’t even real.
In addition to a severe concussion and multiple injuries to her son’s face, Winfree says this whole matter has scarred her son mentally.
“I don’t know why people are so evil or why they would want to hurt my son,” said Winfree. “He wasn’t doing anything. He didn’t even know these people. This has destroyed him mentally. They could have really hurt my son over a fake pair of shoes.”
What’s next:
The teen suspect is reportedly accused of aggravated assault and robbery.
Where the incident happened Crime and Public SafetyGlendaleNews