Two arrests have been made on Friday after a 14-year-old Dublin High School football player was attacked two weeks ago.
According to Cherie Barfield, the victim’s mother, her son was jumped by a group of four young men wearing hoodies and masks after they chased him in the school’s locker room. The attack came after a girl and her mother confronted the victim after school.
“His head was bashed into the locker, and he had a concussion, and his whole face was severely swollen at the time,” Barfield said.”There’s no reason for a child to ever be beaten or anyone to cause physical violence to another person. There’s no reason for a mother to ever bring a perpetrator on campus to harm another student. If she feels her student has been wronged.”
According to the Dublin Police Department, 18-year-old Gerald Counts was arrested and faces trespassing, felony assault, and child abuse charges. Also, a 17-year-old boy who is related to the girl was arrested.
DPD said there’s no evidence the mother coordinated the attack.
Dublin Unified School Superintendent Chris Funk said surveillance cameras captured the men entering the campus and provided leads to the police. He says since the attack, more campus supervisors have been monitoring the locker rooms, and he’s now proposing adding fencing around the entire school grounds.
“It was horrific, and it was unacceptable and uncalled for,” Funk, Dublin Unified School Superintendent.”For us, our number one priority has to be the safety of our students, our staff, and our families that come on campus… If you don’t have a safe environment, it is hard for teaching and learning to take place.”
Barfield said she’s glad to hear about the change and hopes everyone involved in the attack is held accountable.
“We need to do better. Keeping our kids safe at school is the one place they should be able to go and be safe,” she said.
Barfield added her son, who suffered a broken nose and concussion, is looking to get cleared by medical professionals to play in next week’s football game.
