Young man survives angry teen mob attack in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Battered, bruised and deeply shaken, Maurice Benaim is speaking out after a terrifying attack by a mob of 20 to 30 teens on bikes.

"They just surrounded me, and the next thing I know... I’m trying to focus on not passing out in the middle of the road and trying to protect my head," Benaim recalled.

The attack happened at the intersection of San Vicente Boulevard and Carrillo Drive in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 22.

Benaim says the teens were riding recklessly, taking up three lanes of the four-lane street. To avoid hitting one of them, he honked his horn. But instead of moving aside, the group perceived it as aggression. In retaliation, they began kicking his taillight. When Benaim stepped out of his car, the mob rushed in, punching and kicking him repeatedly.

His mother, Yasmile Benaim, expressed her devastation over the brutal assault.

"They don’t value life. They don’t have integrity, they don’t have compassion, they don’t have kindness—because I wouldn’t even leave an animal in the middle of the street like how they left my son," she said.

It took two good Samaritans stepping in before the teens finally rode away on their bikes, but not before also damaging Benaim’s car.

After receiving anonymous tips, the LAPD arrested two teens in connection with the attack. Investigators are still working to identify and apprehend the remaining suspects.

Despite the trauma he endured, Benaim reflected on the attackers, especially the younger ones.

"I’m sure these kids started biking because they wanted to be a BMX star or something like that," he said, adding that he hopes they realize they’re hanging out with the wrong crowd. "I see it as a waste of youth and a waste of potential."

Maurice and his mother want to make one thing clear—they do not believe this was a hate crime. They believe this could have happened to anyone.