Teen On Unicycle Is Victim Of Vicious Attack, Thanks Neighbors For Help
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - Westminster police are searching for three men who attacked a teenager Sunday night.
The attack happened at Westminster City Park near Sheridan Boulevard and West 104th Avenue around 9 p.m.
Devin Dumas, 19, said he was riding his electric unicycle home after returning a couple videos at a nearby Redbox when three men jumped him.
"They created a barrier around me," he said. "Two guys on the outside tackled me and they punched me repeatedly in the face."
The attackers, Dumas said, also kicked him several times and the older of the three attackers went for his throat.
"They tried to choke me on the ground," he said.
Dumas said he had never seen the men before, describing them all as black men about 6 feet tall. Two of them were in their 20s, one with short braided hair, and third a bit older with a shaved head and a goatee. Dumas thinks they may be father and sons who wanted to rob him.
"The older guy was maybe 40 and kind of controlled the other two," Dumas said. "My electric scooter is valued at $700. It's now cracked and missing pieces. My phone is about $300 and they shattered that."
As he was repeatedly punched and kicked, Dumas said he tried fighting off his attackers while screaming for help. That's when neighbors like Barry Wilson stepped in.
"I heard a lot of screaming coming from the park," Wilson told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann. "At first I thought maybe coyotes were after my neighbor's dogs again. So I grabbed my flashlight and ran across the bridge. That's when I saw the poor guy laying on the ground screaming in pain."
Two other neighbors also rushed to Dumas' aid, scaring off the attackers. Police and paramedics arrived not long after and took Dumas to the hospital.
"My whole body feels like I was in a car accident. I have a concussion, lots of bruising and my lips feel like they've been shredded on the inside," Dumas said. "Doctors told me I'm lucky they didn't break my jaw."
As investigators try to track down the three men responsible, Dumas said he is thankful to be alive and gives a lot of credit to the neighbors who helped him.
"I can't thank them enough," Dumas said. "They're true heroes for stepping up."
Yet Wilson said he is no such thing.
"We're not heroes. We're just out there to help somebody," he said.
Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now anchors CBS4 Weekend Morning News and reports during the week. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.
