It happened around 3:15 p.m. at 65th and Woodland in Southwest Philadelphia.
Keisha Corey-Phratt says her 13-year old son Vincent James had just left the bus with a friend when he was jumped by more than a dozen teens and young adults. Police suspect they were members of the gang The Bloods.
Phratt says her son was kicked and beaten until he was bloody mess.
Medics rushed Vincent to Children's Hospital. He was treated for neck injuries, cuts to his face and head and other injuries.
Corey's mom says he was attacked twice before, targeted because his friend was wearing a blue hoodie.
The Bloods' color is red. They consider blue a sign of disrespect, or of support for their rivals, The Crypts.
Joanne York says the attack on Corey sounds a lot like what happened to her 14-year-old grandson, another Pepper student.
"My grandson was coming home from skating on Elmwood Avenue and he was jumped by a gang. His teeth got knocked out of his mouth. He has to see an oral surgeon now," she said.
12th District police say their investigation is ongoing. But early indications are that the kids involved are imitating the behaviors of the real Crypts and Bloods and have not been officially initiated into those violent gangs.
