Five teenagers are facing felony charges, including assault and hate crimes, after allegedly attacking multiple people in the parking lot of a Simi Valley movie theater, officials announced Friday.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Aug. 2 in the Regal Cinemas parking lot on Tapo Canyon Road, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities said the teens assaulted at least three victims. Two of the teens are also charged in a separate altercation in the same lot on May 30.
The suspects include three 17-year-olds and two 16-year-olds. Their names have not been released because they are minors.
One of the victims, 18-year-old Michael Robinson, told KTLA that the attack was racially motivated. He said he was enjoying a night out with friends when a group of intoxicated teens began harassing one of his companions, with whom they had prior issues. The situation escalated quickly.
“They hit one of my friends in the face first,” Robinson said. “Then they hit another. Then they rushed me while I was between two cars. I managed to get out and ran into the parking lot. That’s when they slammed me into the hood of a car and jumped me.”
Cellphone video captured by a witness shows Robinson being chased, beaten and purportedly subjected to racial slurs
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Footage of an altercation between a group of youths and a victim is shown. The victim, who was holding up a chair in self-defense, was surrounded by the group, who was hurling profanities at him. The victim then ran away, but his assailants pursued and started beating him in an outdoor area. -
Video circulating on social media that has been obtained by KTLA shows the moment a late-night assault broke out near a movie theater in Simi Valley on Aug. 2, 2025. -
Michael Robsinon, 18, speaks with KTLA on Aug. 5, 2025, after he said he was violently assaulted by a group of juveniles in a racially-motivated attack outside a Simi Valley movie theater. (KTLA) -
Video circulating on social media that has been obtained by KTLA shows the moment a late-night assault broke out near a movie theater in Simi Valley on Aug. 2, 2025. -
Video circulating on social media that has been obtained by KTLA shows the moment a late-night assault broke out near a movie theater in Simi Valley on Aug. 2, 2025. -
One of the three videos included in the post (which also contained a slide of pictures of some of the alleged suspects) shows one of the teens in the vicinity at the time leaning casually against a Simi Valley Police Department squad car right next to officers. -
During a Simi Valley City council meeting on Aug. 4, 2025, residents called for justice and that the suspects need to be held accountable for their actions in what they say is a racially-motivated hate crime attack. (KTLA)
Robinson said he tried to run away, then tried to defend himself with a chair as the group surrounded him and hurled profanities.
“They still caught me, and when they caught me, they decided they were going to put my head in the trash can and proceeded to hit me in the back of my head,” Robinson said.
The attack left Robinson with a concussion, cuts, bruises and a chipped tooth. He said he did not know any of the assailants. After Robinson and his mother reported the attack, a criminal investigation was launched.
Four of the teens were arrested on Aug. 3. A fifth suspect was identified later. One of the teens is the son of a Simi Valley police officer, according to the department, which said the officer is not involved in the investigation.
On Oct. 3, the district attorney’s office announced charges against all five juveniles:
Three teens were charged with felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, with a special allegation of a hate crime. One teen faces the same felony assault charge, along with misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery. The fifth teen was charged with misdemeanor criminal threats and misdemeanor battery.
“Hate crimes spread fear, division and violence throughout an entire community,” District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement. “Our office is committed to holding these youth accountable and ensuring that justice is delivered for the victims and our community.”
All five teens are scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 10 at the Ventura County Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard.
Morgan Ball, Vivian Chow, Angelique Brenes and Will Conybeare contributed to this report.
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