Man assaults 3rd grader at Oakland school over alleged bullying, parents say
OAKLAND, Calif. - Parents at an Oakland elementary school say a man walked on to campus and assaulted their 8-year-old son and another student because he thought they were bullying his family member.
Oakland police were called to the school, but the parents say, so far there has been no arrest, and they’re concerned about their son’s safety.
This happened nearly a month ago just after school at Cleveland Elementary. The Browns say they still haven’t heard a word about this man’s whereabouts or if he’ll be held accountable for grabbing and pushing their child.
"An adult man came on campus specifically looking for my child, and he found him in the bathroom, and he assaulted him. I believe he needs to pay for what he did," said Shawnte Brown, the child's mother.
Jamaal and Shawnte Brown say they were shocked after learning their 3rd grader had been accosted by a strange man while at school on September 23. They say he grabbed two boys on campus that day. They also believe he’s related to one of their son’s schoolmates and was upset because he thought the boys were bullying his niece over snacks.
"He followed my son into the bathroom, did the same thing. Picked him up pushed him, put him on the wall and threatened him as well for chasing her for Takis. Then just dropped him. That’s what happened," said Jamaal Brown, the child's father.
Oakland School District released this statement, saying in part:
"There was an incident in September at an OUSD elementary school in which a family member of a student entered campus after school, threatened two other students, and allegedly assaulted at least one of them… Oakland Police were called to the campus and staff explained to them what happened. OUSD is cooperating with the OPD investigation."
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"My son had nightmares the first couple of days. He did have a nightmare. He didn’t want to go to baseball practice. He didn’t want to do that, so he was traumatized from the event," Jamaal said.
The Browns say they’ve complained about the campus being unsecured, and it seems some gates are only locked at certain times. With violent incidents happening in Oakland schools and across the country, they want more safety precautions and accountability.
"This man is still on the loose. We have a very clear picture of him, several pictures of him. So, I want to know why it is so hard to find him when you know the family," Shawnte said.
The Browns say there is security footage of this man entering the school, and they’ve requested it from police, but they haven’t turned it over. OPD says they’ll continue investigating this case.