Teen says man attacked him at Brighton YMCA over game of basketball

By Tiffany Chan

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    BRIGHTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Brighton teenager says he was choked at the Brighton YMCA during what was supposed to be a friendly game of basketball.

Teen describes attack “He grabbed me by the neck very hard,” the teenager said. “I couldn’t even breathe for a split second. I couldn’t breathe at all.”

WBZ-TV is not identifying the teenage victim, but the boy’s mother said the staff at the Oak Square YMCA called her about the attack Wednesday afternoon.

Police release images of suspect

“‘We wanted to call you because the police are here,’ she says, ‘and one of (the men) grabbed your son by the neck,” Sylvia Lopez said while describing the call.

Boston Police released surveillance photos of the suspect wanted in connection with assault and battery at the YMCA. He was seen wearing a black T-shirt with short dreadlocks.

“I asked him, ‘Were you able to defend yourself?'” Lopez said of her conversation with her son. “And he says ‘No, Mom. I couldn’t defend myself because it was a grown man and he was 6’4″.'”

The teenager said he was playing pick-up basketball with some adults and blocked some of the suspect’s shots when the man allegedly got upset.

“He only let him go because his older brother – which is 17 – hit him with the ball so he would let him go, and then he turned around and assaulted my other son,” Lopez explained.

Mom describes neck wounds

She was horrified when she saw the bloody wounds on her son’s neck.

“When I saw that he had a big gash of skin missing,” she said. “It was bleeding and on the other side, as well, he had a whole bunch of nail marks, He had finger marks all over his neck.”

A scary experience for her two teenage sons. Lopez is urging the suspect to do the right thing and turn himself into Boston Police.

“I’m sure if he had a son, he wouldn’t want nobody to put their hands on his kid either.”

Lopez said police are aware of the suspect’s identity, but so far, no word on any arrests.

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