Video shows Pasco teen beaten, robbed as he walked home from school
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (FOX 13) - Disturbing video shows a teenager in New Port Richey being beaten and robbed by several men as he walked home from school.
The video is hard for Stephanie Byrd to watch.
"These guys targeted my son. They seen him walking. They seen what he was wearing what shoes he had on," she told FOX 13.
Byrd's 15-year-old son was walking home from Gulf High School on Wednesday when he noticed an older model teal pickup truck following him along State Road 54 and Madison Street.
The video shows two men getting out of the truck as they continue to follow Byrd's son on foot. The men then attacked the teen as he turned onto Overton Dr. near Pensdale Dr. in New Port Richey.
Surveillance cameras from neighboring homes captured the brutal beating, showing two more men joining in the attack.
"These grown men attacked a 15 year old... and still they wasn’t going to stop until someone pulled up," Byrd said.
The attackers only got away with her son's backpack, cell phone and $10. But they left behind major damage.
Byrd's son now has 3 missing teeth and a fractured jaw.
"I was crying and upset because I wasn’t there to protect him and now I’m mad. I’m ready to get these guys," she said.
The random attack has shaken their family.
Byrd is keeping her son home from school and focusing her attention on helping investigators find the men responsible.
"What they did to my son. they need 10 times worse," she said.
Anyone with information on the incident or who can identify the suspects is urged to contact the Pasco County Sheriff's Office at 1-800-706-2488 and reference case #19-07661. You can also submit a tip online.
Byrd has set up a GoFund me account to help with her son's medical expenses.