A family is devastated after a video of their 5-year-old preschooler being bullied and called ethnic slurs by a middle school boy circulated throughout their Virginia community — an incident that has since been reported to law enforcement.
Ashley and Sean, the mother and father, spoke with local station WRC on Saturday, April 26, after another parent learned about the video and informed them.
WRC aired the footage, but the 5-year-old’s face was obscured.
The older boy does not appear on camera in the video, but the slurs he repeatedly says—which rhyme with “King Kong”—can be heard in an uncensored clip published by AsAm News with Ashley and Sean’s permission.
According to the video, the younger child can be seen running away from the middle schooler, ringing the doorbell, and begging for help.
“No! Do not hurt me! “Don’t hurt me!” the 5-year-old exclaims, holding out his hands and pulling a jacket over his head for protection.
He also asks nearby children to “save” him while others laugh.
The child who is recording asks the Asian boy if he is eating “dumplings” for dinner and mocks him for acting like a “big guy.”
As the mother opens the front door, unaware of what has just occurred, and her child rushes inside, the middle schooler says, “Bye, have a good day.”
WRC reports that the video was shared in a chat group with students from nearby Eagle Ridge Middle School. A report has also been submitted to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
A parent in the community discovered the footage and tracked down the victim’s family to tearfully tell them what had happened.
“Every time I saw that, my heart was broken,” Ashley told WRC during an emotional interview. “As a mother, it’s upsetting to see my 5-year-old son being insulted by older children. I’m not sure why those kids were so cruel to my son.”
Sean sat beside her and told WRC that one of the jeers involved his son being referred to as “King Kong.”
“Should I keep lying and saying ‘Yes’? “They call you King Kong because you’re so strong.” As his voice broke, the father asked, “Should I try to explain to him what that word means and why they’re saying it to you?” It is hard.”
Ashley added that it was equally disturbing to see no other children in the video stand up for her son, instead laughing at his cries for assistance.
“No one came out to say ‘Stop.’ Nobody thinks this is wrong. They were just laughing. “Yes, nobody stood up,” she stated.
Sean and Ashley relocated to Loudoun County from China, choosing the area for its neighborhood and schools, according to WRC.
“We thought that this would be a great place, however though, it ended up like this,” he informed me.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Loudoun County Public Schools, which include Eagle Ridge, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“The school division does not condone the behavior and is quite disappointed,” spokesman Dan Adams told WRC, referring to the 5-year-old. “Even though this child is not an LCPS student, we have offered this student counseling.”
