EXCLUSIVE: grandmother of 12-year-old attacked by teens at Chicopee Comp Speaks out

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The grandmother of the 12-year-old boy, allegedly beaten up by two teens while at a Chicopee football game, is now speaking out.

This grandmother told us that she wants answers after she said that her grandson was banned from Chicopee Comprehensive High School property. She said that it sends the wrong message to her grandson who has already been a victim.

At the Chicopee Comprehensive High School football game, police confirmed that they investigated a physical fight between a 12-year-old boy and two 16-year-olds.

The two teens have been charged with assault and battery, as well as stealing and damaging the 12-year-old’s iPhone.

“The twelve-year-old had gotten jumped, and I’m like what?” the grandmother said.

She spoke exclusively with Western Mass News, but wanted to remain anonymous. While she is upset about what happened to her grandson, she told us that she did not want the 16-year-olds to be charged with felonies.

“The alternative is, now, those children are going to be caught up in the juvenile court system, and to me, that’s just a shame,” she said. “That’s just absolutely sad.”

She said that, since that night, her grandson has not wanted to go many places alone.

“He’s not going out to the park by himself anymore, in the last week,” she told us. “Normally, he’d go to a local park or one of the school’s to play basketball. He’s not wanting to do any of those things.”

Now, she said that he has been victimized again as she got a call from her grandson’s school, saying he is not allowed on Chicopee Comprehensive property.

“I don’t think any of that is fair,” the grandmother said. “He’s being punished for something he had no control over.”

This comes even though his siblings are on the football team.

“Which excludes our whole family from going to the football game on Thanksgiving, which is a tradition for us,” the grandmother said. “And his brother plays in that.”

Western Mass News reached out to the Chicopee Comprehensive principal’s office numerous times since Monday and have not received a response regarding this incident.

We also asked the mayor’s office, Chicopee school council members, and the superintendent’s office for a response, as well, but most of them directed us to the Chicopee Comprehensive principal, who we are waiting to hear back from.

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