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Police Charge Nine Teens In Connection With Beating Of Marines

[Screenshot/YouTube/KCAL News]

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California law enforcement officials have announced the arrest of multiple teenagers in connection with the brutal assault of three U.S. Marines that occurred May 26 and was captured on video.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday night that four male juveniles and one female juvenile believed to be involved in the assault of three Marines near the San Clemente Pier on Friday evening had been arrested. All five were booked into the Orange County Juvenile Hall on charges of assault with a non-firearm deadly weapon. An additional four were charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.

“They typically don’t take juveniles into custody for misdemeanors,” San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan explained to CBS News.  “They will go through the process out of custody.”


The incident reportedly began when the Marines were walking along the pier and came across a large group of teens setting off fireworks. After asking the teens to stop firing them, the group reportedly descended upon the soldiers, CBS News reported.

“I didn’t know what was going on. I was just trying to go back to the car and then I had turned around … to help them out. And then we’re just all in this circle being stomped on, beat up,” one of the Marines, Hunter Antonino, told the outlet. (RELATED: Police Charge Group Of Eight Teenage Girls With Murder After They Allegedly Killed Homeless Man)

Video of the incident shows the mob of teens beating and kicking two of Antonino’s companions while they lie on the ground in the fetal position, covering their heads, until two bystanders appear to break it up.

“They think they have the people they are looking for,” Duncan told CBS News. “Not to say that there might not be a few others out there. They feel pretty confident that they have the main perpetrators.”