WASHINGTON — Three teenage cousins claim a group of about 20 kids jumped them as they were coming out of the Shaw Library Monday night.
The youngest, 14-year-old Zhariah Jones, said she was targeted by a girl who has been bullying her for years.
One of the young women involved posted video of the fight to social media.
Jones said she has been having flashbacks and panic attacks since that day.
“They were surrounding me, and they told me to fight her, and I told them I didn’t want to fight, so the girl swung first, and we got into a fight," said the 14-year-old. "They started banging my head into the curb… They was kicking me in my back . They was kicking me in my head. …when they was jumping me, my cousin jumped in to help me.”
Her 18-year-old cousin, Alexis Irvy, told Jones to run as she hung back to take some of the blows.
“I didn’t want to fight them, because they are kids. I’m 18," said Irvy. "But I I was not going to stand back and watch my cousin get her head banged into the ground.”
Jones, Irvy, and Irvy's sister, 18-year-old Na'asia Hawkins all suffered concussions from the incident. Jones came away with a swollen face. Irvy's neck and fingers were also fractured.
Three cousins suffered multiple injuries after being jumped
"My daughter woke up in the middle of the night at the hospital having a panic attack and was just crying, and I was crying with her, because it’s sad as a mother to see my daughter have to go through something like that, knowing that I want to protect her, and I can’t," said Zhariah's mom, Shakia Scales.
Scales said she filed a police report Monday night, but she said police told her no charges were being pursued.
She has since filed a complaint against some of the officers who handled the case, and per emails the WUSA9 team reviewed Friday, DC Police have opened an internal investigation.
Her family said this is a painful lesson in how harmful bullying can be.
“People are killing themselves… because they were being bullied…and if I have to fight, I’m going to fight until the day I die," said Scales. "My voice will be heard. No more bullying. We should live and not be bullied.”