\u201cThey went up to the top of the bus, and they sat closer to the front than to the back, away from a loud group of kids … they were minding their own business,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
She said as he sat down, he took a quick glance around, and within about 30 seconds, several teenagers approached him. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe girl had said to him, \u2018Why are you staring at my bros? You\u2019re staring at my bros.\u2019 <\/p>\n
\u201cI think she was being quite aggressive in her tone, and he said, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m really sorry, I didn\u2019t mean to.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucy said a girl from the group punched her son in the mouth, cheekbone and eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she got four or five punches in his neck and each time he said that he was sorry, tried not to fight, didn\u2019t stand up,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
Lucy said she understood another teenager from the group was filming the incident and repeatedly pressured him to say something and make a hand gesture on camera. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe couldn\u2019t focus or hear what she was asking. He said, \u2018No, what does that mean?\u2019 I think she probably asked about three or four times and gave up and left,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
The boy\u2019s mother said witnesses have told her the group were allegedly using nitrous oxide containers, known as \u201cnangs\u201d, on the bus. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy son and his friends sat there perfectly still, afraid to move, just staring forward. He wouldn\u2019t get his phone out of his pocket. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Mum, I didn\u2019t want to get it out in case they came back for me or the phone\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n
Lucy is the mother of a young boy who was violently attacked on a North Shore bus. Photo \/ Jason Dorday<\/p>\n
\u2018In shock and shaking\u2019<\/p>\n
Lucy said her son and his friends heard the group threatening to \u201cget him at the next stop\u201d or \u201cfinish it\u201d. <\/p>\n
She said a bystander also overheard what was being said and decided to stand up in the aisle as the crowd was starting to depart the bus. <\/p>\n
\u201c[The female bystander was] getting in the way, but without getting herself involved, so trying to be subtle to slow them down. She said to my son, \u2018are you okay?\u2019 And he shook his head,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
Lucy said her son turned down the offer from the woman for a ride because he could see a security guard nearby. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the bus pulled in, he\u2019s run downstairs, and a second lady actually stood up. There are two ladies in the way to slow this group down,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
After alerting the security guard, she said her son panicked and ran to hide behind some nearby buildings. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe was probably in shock and shaking, a little bit nervous. He\u2019s quite a sweet, innocent boy for a 16-year-old,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
Lucy said that at the time, her son didn\u2019t know one of his friends sitting in the row ahead had texted his mother asking her to call the police. <\/p>\n
She said her son called his father and was picked up shortly later. <\/p>\n
HBC Bus Safety \u2013 Community Action Page. Photo \/ Facebook<\/p>\n
\u2018This is a pattern\u2019<\/p>\n
Lucy said the incident has changed her son\u2019s life to the point that he is fearful of ever catching a bus again. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s okay, but he\u2019s probably not going into these public spaces anymore,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n
Since Lucy posted her son\u2019s experience on Facebook, several parents have come forward with very similar incidents. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when I realised this is not an isolated event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a pattern,\u201d Lucy said. <\/p>\n