The three minors charged with hate crimes in a parking lot assault at the Simi Valley Regal Cinema in August have all been sentenced, the Ventura County District Attorney announced Friday.
“Hate crimes will not be tolerated in Ventura County,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “We
sought justice for our victims and accountability for the offenders that reflected the seriousness of these crimes. Multiple months of custody in a locked juvenile facility underscores the seriousness of their crimes.”
The final minor in the case was sentenced on Wednesday, with the other two having already appeared in court on Nov. 13, according to the DA’s office.
The unidentified minor in Wednesday’s case was ordered to serve the longest sentence of 270 days, consisting of 240 days in a locked juvenile facility and the other 30 under electronic monitoring.
The other two minors were given a sentence of 240 days, with 210 of those in a juvenile facility and the remaining 30 under electronic monitoring, the DA’s office said.
All three of the minors were also ordered to participate in the Harm to Healing Restorative Justice Program and the Anti-Defamation League Program.
On Aug. 1, the three minors were among a group of five juveniles who approached another group of teens and engaged in an argument that quickly escalated into assaults against three victims in the parking lot of the Simi Valley Regal Cinema.
“One victim was punched in the jaw. Another was pushed to the ground and stomped on. A third victim was confronted with racial slurs, chased, surrounded, and repeatedly punched,” officials said.
One of the victims then ran toward the cinema food court, where he was surrounded and beaten again.
That victim, 18-year-old Michael Robinson, spoke out about the incident several days later. “They still caught me, and when they caught me, they decided they were going to put my head in the trash can and proceeded to hit me in the back of my head,” Robinson said.
Video of the assault, which was widely circulated on social media, prompted community outrage and concern.
“One minor recorded part of the assault while repeatedly using racial slurs, including the N-word,” the DA’s office said.
The attack left Robinson with cuts, bruises and a chipped tooth. Robinson said that by sharing his story, he hopes to not only bring awareness to such issues, but that it will prevent another person from being attacked in the same way.
“I forgive [the attackers], but there are consequences to your actions,” he said.
The two remaining minors involved in the case were not charged with a hate crime, according to the DA’s office. Their cases are scheduled for continued arraignment on Nov. 21 and Dec. 3.