Child’s jaw broken during melee at park in Paso Robles

July 2, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

A teenager is in custody after he broke another boy’s jaw during a fight at the Downtown City Park in Paso Robles on Friday evening.

The result of an ongoing feud, a 14-year-old suspect and a 12-year-old boy began fighting in the park. Approximately 18 others then joined in the melee.

Officers arrived at about 8:30 p.m. to find the 12-year-old with a broken jaw. After determining the 14-year-old started the fight, officers arrested the teen on a felony battery charge and booked him in the Juvenile Services Center in San Luis Obispo.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Paso Robles Police Department at (805) 237-6464.


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Kids fight. I fought in Jr. High, high school, in the service, as a “Doorman” at clubs. I never started one. It’s foolish, but people do that. I remember coming home one day to my dad in the garage working on something. I was in high school. Bloody lip, shirt ripped, hair full of grass. “Dad, I just kicked a kids butt” my dad looked at me and said “Pretty proud of yourself?” I smiled and said “Heck Yah” he said “How do you think his dad feels?” And he looked at me. I was completely humiliated by what I thought would be a glorious bonding. I mentioned I fought in those other venues but, it was always in the defense of others.

Since Abel and Cain were documented, people didn’t get along.


Good for them. Nothing like some testosterone fueled physical bonding by a group of males. It is the same behavior that is ubiquitous in the animal world. Dollars to donuts that these young men develop, however grudgingly, lifelong friendships in the wake of this incident.


No knives or guns? Can’t believe my first reaction was kudos going old school. Glad it wasn’t worse.


This is how kids want to start their Summer? I guess the “Stop Bullying” messaging that schools supposedly emphasize nowadays isn’t getting through to some of the ‘youts’.


I guarantee this will be not reported by KSBY, The Tribune, or the Paso Robles Press/Atascadero News. Does not fit the wine country paradigm, bad for business. But Paso remains a nasty place to live with public officials who do not care about residents’ quality of life. They want to run away by approving thousands of new homes for which there is no water while ignoring the existing reality.


Agreed. I also feel very odd about arresting a 14 year old and attaching a felony to him, ruining the rest of his life, ability to get college funding or anything. Paso city council is awful, and obviously they could care less about the town and it’s citizens and ecology.


He is 14 years old, a juvenile whose records will be sealed. Although charged with a felony, it will be plea bargained down to a few misdemeanors and he’ll go to juvie for a while or a group home. His life is far from ruined. Maybe he will get some help with his anger issues. A change of environment can work wonders. An intervention at this stage could be the best thing that happens to this kid. The alternative is, he gets away with this and goes on to do even worse things.

Meanwhile, his victim has a broken jaw and will probably suffer after-effects for years if his teeth were loosened. That is far worse than anything that will happen to his assailant.


Reported by KSBY at 3:49 pm on Saturday…


I think the other sources have finally been shamed into reporting all the news, not just that approved by the Chamber of Commerce. But remember, not long ago Kelly Gearhart was The Tribune’s “Man-of-the-Year” while they viciously attacked Karen Veile for reporting, and what the The Tribune fully knew was, the truth.