A group of teenagers have reportedly been harassing homeless people around Sacramento County, and the shameful pranks are catching attention — and disgust — online.
Multiple video clips show two to three young men, typically dressed in hoodies with their identities mostly concealed, casually approaching their targets before pelting them with objects or kicking them in a disgusting bid for internet “clout,” victims say.
Then, as if in a surprise attack, they launch water bottles — in some cases with water spilling out — at the homeless target. The teens then quickly run away.
“I put my backpack on, I turned around, and one of the guys came up and kicked me,” Chip Stockton told CBS News
Stockton said the same group of children also targeted him outside a Safeway store. He said he was playing his radio when the teens allegedly began to kick him.
It’s unclear if all the teens’ targets were homeless or if they were specifically attacking people who appeared homeless. The victims of the pranks were often simply sitting outside, or waiting at a bus stop or a car.
One of the most criticized clips shows a man near a van as the group approaches while holding out a container of water. He appears to reach toward it, seemingly expecting to receive the water, before they throw it on him and flee.
“They physically assaulted me, and that’s assault and battery is what they did to me,” he added.
Angel Melendez, a worker near the Safeway, told CBS that the group of pranksters have become a growing nuisance for businesses in the area.
“They want clout,” Melendez said. “They want to blow up. But obviously they could have done that by doing the opposite of this, by helping the homeless instead of harming them.”
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is aware of the videos but said they have not gotten any reports filed by any victims.
While the videos have gone viral, many on social media reacted negatively to the pranks.
“Imagine being hungry, thirsty, homeless & someone comes offering you water just for them too throw it at you… his heart got 3 times smaller that day,” one user commented on one of the clips.
“Those kids need to be shown how to respect their elders for real,” another user said. “This makes me so angry.”
One commenter had warned the account, “Karma will get you all,” but it seems the teens had no remorse. The account reportedly responded back, “Are you next?”
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