A grown man pummeled a Brooklyn middle schooler after a scuffle over a basketball game, in an attack so brutal hundreds of parents took to the streets before a school board meeting this week to demand action.
A 13-year-old boy named Brian, whose full identity is being withheld by The Post, was on the basketball court at IS 201 in Dyker Heights on Sept. 28 when he and his friends clashed with two classmates, brothers who were trying to force their way into joining the game.
But the childhood squabble escalated when the brothers called their family, prompting one of their relatives to show up, according to Brian’s family.
The man was caught on video punching and kicking Brian as the boy lay on the ground.
He can then be seen trying to shield his head as one of the brothers slugged him.
Another disturbing clip showed a bystander trying to break up the attack as the assailant again knocked Brian to the ground, while a boy kicked him.
The attacker fled the scene, according to police, but showed up two days later at the boy’s home, with a group armed with baseball bats and yelling anti-Asian slurs, Brian’s family said.
A cousin tried to get the group to leave but a shouting match turned violent as objects were swung and punches thrown.
The police were called and arrested Hassan Saab, 24, for allegedly attacking Brian on the basketball court and for the assault outside his home.
Saab was armed with a scooter handle and faces assault, weapon possession and harassment charges, according to police report.
Brian’s dad was also arrested for assault after Saab claimed the father hit him with a shovel and bruised his right arm. The dad suffered a gash to the head requiring six staples, among other injuries, his family said.
“We are afraid he might come back,” the family said of Saab. “We don’t want trouble to escalate. We want justice.”
Outraged community members are calling for maximum charges for Saab and for the criminal case against Brian’s father to be dropped.
“It was self-defense, he was defending his home,” said Karlin Chan, a community activist who spoke on behalf of the family at a rally outside of PS 264 in Bay Ridge on Wednesday.
Around 300 people showed up to denounce bullying and call for justice in the brutal beatings.
“The bullying is not just happening in the school,” said Lucy Ao, who said she worries because her elementary aged kids will soon attend IS 201.
“Today it happened to their family, but tomorrow it could happen to my family,” said Jim Zhen, a dad from Williamsburg.
Some highlighted spikes in anti-Asian attacks. When Chan told those at the rally the case was not being investigated as a hate crime, one woman in the crowd called out, “Please don’t say this wasn’t a hate crime.”
“It’s really important that we stand up and speak out and fight for what we need to have,” said parent leader Yiatin Chu, “Safety for our kids, a great education, schools that we feel comfortable sending our kids to.”
State Sen. Iwen Chu defended the boy’s family and said her office will support them.
“One thing needs to be very clear — our children’s safety cannot be compromised,” Chu said. “This behavior needs to face the consequences.”
Saab and his lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
