LYNN — A teenager received a brand-new bike Friday, just days after he was chased and brutally beaten while riding his bike home from football practice.
To add insult to injury, the group that attacked 13-year-old Sokhai Mumbauer also stole his bike, which he had just gotten the week before.
“He was so happy to have it,” Mumbauer’s father, Andrew Mumbauer, said. “He and his friend had been riding bikes around all week.”
According to Andrew Mumbauer, his son was brought to the hospital with a concussion and broken bones after a group of more than six people in a car chased Sokhai Mumbauer and his friend as the two were on their way home from football practice at Lynn English High School Wednesday night.
After attempting to flee his attackers, Sokhai Mumbauer was brutally beaten by those who had chased him.
Sean McCarthy, who was part of the group that helped Sokhai Mumbauer get his new bike, reached out to a group of his friends after he heard about the incident.
“We have a group text going,” McCarthy said. “I just threw it out to them, ‘Hey guys, do you want to replace this kid’s bike?’ and they said yes right away.”
On Friday, McCarthy and his friends Brendan Ward, Andrew Nardone, Al DiVirgilio, Shawn Ford, Joe Scianatico, and state Rep. Dan Cahill gathered at North Shore Cycles on Western Avenue to present Sokhai Mumbauer with his new wheels — an SE Bikes Dblocks Big Ripper.
“It’s cool,” Sokhai Mumbauer, who rode it the minute he got out of the store, said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
Jose Moscat, the owner of North Shore Cycles, said he was happy to help after he heard what happened to Sokhai Mumbauer.
“As a part of the community it’s important to help out,” Moscat said. “I added some extra bits and pieces to the bike to sort of spice it up a little bit.”
Despite what Sokhai Mumbauer went through, Andrew Mumbauer was happy to see the community rally around his son.
“That’s the great thing about Lynn,” Andrew Mumbauer said. “There may be some crappy people like the ones who did that to him, but six people don’t amount to the 1,000-plus that reached out and have come together for him.”
