Two Golden Valley High School students arrested for apparent bullying incident

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A video shows a boy telling a sixth-grader to lick the sole of his shoe while the other hits him with cheese. In response, his family held a protest rally to protest bullying and demand justice.

• The video of the apparent bullying incident spread like wildfire on social media and led to the arrest of the two Golden Valley students seen in the video.
• Golden Valley High School students and community members protested outside the high school Tuesday afternoon, calling for better parenting to prevent future bullying incidents.
• According to Bakersfield police, the 14- and 15-year-old boys seen in the video were arrested and booked into a juvenile detention center, where they were charged with assault, false imprisonment and conspiracy.

Home surveillance camera footage captured an apparent bullying incident that occurred right here after school on Monday, moving a sixth-grader to tears and outraged the community.
“Lick the soles of my shoes or you’ll get cheese slapped,” one of the high school boys said in the video.

A viral video shows sixth-grader Carter Lashaul's walk home from school taking an ugly turn.

“No, lie down on the floor,” the teenager tells Carter.

As the video continues, one of the boys is seen slapping Carter with a piece of cheese while the other tells him to lick the bottom of his shoe.

“I immediately had the feeling that he was in danger. There was something wrong with him,” said Adina Alaniz, the woman who prevented the incident.

She says she was taking a nap when she was awakened by the noise outside her house.

When she checked her cameras, she says she ran outside as quickly as she could to find out what had happened to Carter.

“I thought I made it in time. He was standing there when I came out. The kids were obviously running around and I didn't think anything had happened to him until he told us,” Alaniz said.

When Alaniz took him home, Carter told her that he used to be friends with the boys.

“To hear him cry the way he cried was unacceptable,” said Eilen Gilbert, Carter’s aunt.

On Monday evening, the video circulated on social media and reached Carter's sister, who organized a protest in front of Golden Valley High School on Tuesday afternoon.

“I will not allow my brother to be further exposed or humiliated in public, so I will speak on his behalf,” said Mariah Washington, Carter's sister.

Dozens of students left class to take a stand against bullying and show their support for Carter.

“I find it very heartwarming that in situations like this, people take to the streets, show their support and make it clear that bullying is not okay at all,” says Azorea Cooper, a 12th grader at Golden Valley High School.

The Kern High School District released a statement about the incident.

“Something has to [done] about the guys who did it,” Gilbert said. “They should go to juvenile detention and sit there for a while and process what they did and think about it.”

Bakersfield police said the 14- and 15-year-old boys seen in the video attended Golden Valley High School and confirmed they were arrested on assault, false imprisonment and conspiracy charges and booked into a juvenile detention center.

Students and community members attending the protest say that in addition to the family, they want a change in parenting style to prevent further bullying.

“I think my first reaction is to always protect the children, whether they are mine or not. Bullying is absolutely taboo for me, so if I am in a position to put a stop to it, then I will,” Alaniz said.

Family members tell me Carter is doing well, but they ask the community to continue to support her through prayers.

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