11-year-old girl says she was attacked with air freshener at San Rafael mall

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A Marin County father is speaking out and calling for parental action after his 11-year-old daughter was allegedly attacked with an air freshener bottle by an acquaintance of the same age outside a mall over the weekend.

The incident, which was captured on video, has prompted the family to sound the alarm on what they describe as a disturbing rise in youth violence and toxic social media trends in the North Bay.

A father's warning

What they're saying:

"This isn't the Marin County I grew up in," the girl's father, Brett Adams said on Monday.

A trip to the mall 

Adams thought he was just giving his 11-year-old daughter, Brooke-Lynn, and her friend a fun afternoon out when he dropped them off at the Northgate Mall in San Rafael around 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Shortly after, he received a frantic phone call from Brooke-Lynn's friend stating that his daughter was being assaulted. Adams rushed back to the shopping center, only to find Brooke-Lynn beaten and bruised outside the mall.

"There's always going to be fights, but this was an attack—a brutal attack," Adams said.

The incident began inside the mall while the girls were eating. 

Bottle of air freshener

Dig deeper:

According to Brooke-Lynn and her friend, Taleah Vasquez, another 11-year-old girl whom Brooke-Lynn described as an acquaintance began continuously spraying a bottle of air freshener at them.

It's unclear what prompted her to do that.

"I put my hand over her shoulder to try to get the Febreeze bottle from her," Brooke-Lynn recalled, pointing to her injuries. "She turned around and hit me in the arm with the bottle. My head was down like this... my hair was in front of my face. She grabbed my hair and pulled me onto the floor and started beating me."

The violence spilled outside, where the other girl allegedly escalated the assault. Some of what happened was captured on video.

"This one happened when she was stomping on me," Brooke-Lynn said, describing her bruises.

Taleah tried to intervene to save her friend. 

"I went to go get my phone to record what's happening... threw my phone and pushed her off," Taleah said. "She slapped me and ran away."

The police

San Rafael Police and paramedics responded to the scene, where Brooke-Lynn was treated for her injuries.

Authorities confirmed that they located the 11-year-old alleged attacker and took her into custody. However, she was later turned over to the custody of her mother.

San Rafael Police stated they have thoroughly investigated the incident. 

Because the case involves 11-year-olds, the matter falls under the jurisdiction of Marin County Juvenile Probation and the District Attorney's Office. Those agencies will determine the next steps, which could include formal intervention, prosecution, or mediation. Due to privacy laws surrounding minors, limited information can be released publicly.

Call to action

Adams is channeling his anger into a call to action for other parents, pointing to social media as a breeding ground for youth aggression.

"I want to shine a light on these kids on social media who are watching videos of kids getting beat up and jumped, and it's sick," Adams said. "We need to do something as parents. This is a different generation. This isn't the Marin County I grew up in."

The family has launched an online fundraiser to help cover Brooke-Lynn's growing medical expenses following the assault.  

Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave a message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter .

 

San RafaelNews