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SoCal dad in jacuzzi kicked in head by laughing thugs who rob his $1,000 iPhone

socal-dad-in-jacuzzi-kicked-in-head-by-laughing-thugs-who-rob-his-$1,000-iphone
SoCal dad in jacuzzi kicked in head by laughing thugs who rob his $1,000 iPhone

A California dad was enjoying a rare moment of peace in a jacuzzi when two young thugs allegedly crept up behind him, kicked him viciously in the head and laughed as they ran off with his $1,000 iPhone.

Greg Medina, 48, was trying to relax his muscles after a long day as a chef when the apparently unprovoked attack unfolded Friday night at the Creekside Village apartments in San Bernardino.

Medina had recently gone back to school and was listening to a class lecture through his earbuds while soaking in the jacuzzi.

Surveillance footage shows a man being kicked in the head in a jacuzzi by two young men.

Greg Medina, 48, was brutally kicked in the head by a group of laughing young thugs while relaxing in a jacuzzi before they robbed him of his $1,000 iPhone. Courtesy Eilena Medina

Then one of the suspects suddenly struck.

“I was listening to the class in earbuds and normally I don’t do that, but this day I decided to, and felt a sharp kick behind my head,” Medina told The California Post.

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Surveillance video captured the shocking assault.

One suspect approaches Medina and delivers a hard kick to the back of his head.

The second then reaches down and grabs Medina’s phone, which was sitting on the concrete.

Surveillance footage of Greg Medina being attacked in a jacuzzi.

The second suspect then reaches down and grabs Medina’s phone, which was sitting on the concrete. Courtesy Eilena Medina

The attackers did not say anything to him, Medina said, instead they laughed.

“They thought it was funny to do this to me.”

Medina said the pair laughed again as they ran away.

Flyer seeking information about an assault, showing a blurry image of the alleged assailant and detailing the incident.

San Bernardino police are investigating. Courtesy Eilena Medina

Security camera footage shows Greg Medina relaxing in a hot tub with another person before being attacked.

The two young thugs allegedly crept up behind him then kicked him viciously in the head. Courtesy Eilena Medina

The stolen phone was a particularly painful loss. Medina had spent more than $1,000 on the new iPhone and had just finished paying it off.

His AirPods were also lost and his glasses were broken during the attack, but Medina said the assault could have ended in tragedy.

“I could have lost consciousness, you know, or I could have been hurt a lot worse and drowned,” he said.


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The 48-year-old father managed to track his stolen phone to a neighboring apartment complex and contacted police.

Medina believes the suspects are not residents of his complex and live at the nearby property.

“They hop the wall and come into our apartment complex. We have a pool.”

Police could not pinpoint the exact apartment because the neighboring complex has roughly 30 to 40 units.

Medina canceled service to the stolen phone.

Community safety alert poster from Creekside Village Management with photos of two individuals wanted in connection with an August 14, 2026, incident involving an assault and stolen cell phone.

Greg Medina, 48, was brutally kicked in the head by a group of laughing young thugs while relaxing in a jacuzzi before they robbed him of his $1,000 iPhone. Courtesy Eilena Medina

The brutal attack landed him in the emergency room with a concussion and later a diagnosis of “post concussion syndrome.”

But Medina said he could afford to take just one day off work.

He is a full-time chef, a full-time dad and the sole provider for his 12-year-old daughter.

He works for Lutheran Social Services, preparing meals for homeless people in San Bernardino. His workday starts at 5 a.m., when he begins cooking for the roughly 70 to 75 men he typically serves before wrapping up around 1 or 2 p.m.

Greg Medina, a 48-year-old man, wearing a chef's hat and glasses, speaks to a reporter.

The 48-year-old father managed to track his stolen phone to a neighboring apartment complex and contacted police.

After putting in those grueling hours, Medina said the jacuzzi was supposed to be his chance to finally kick back and decompress.

Instead, he ended up concussed, battered and robbed.

“This was a pure act of violence. A pure act of evil.”

Medina said he never got a good look at his attackers but believes they were teenagers or young adults.

Now he hopes someone recognizes the pair and helps police track them down — before they turn their violence on someone even more vulnerable.

“If they’re willing to do that to me, as a 48-year-old grown man, what are they going to do with a senior citizen that’s in there?” he asked. “What are they going to do with someone that’s in a wheelchair?”

CCTV footage of Greg Medina sitting in a hot tub next to a swimming pool.

The brutal attack landed him in the emergency room with a concussion. Courtesy Eilena Medina

San Bernardino police are investigating.

The suspects could face felony charges for assault with a deadly weapon and robbery.

Medina also said he cannot determine whether race played a role in the attack.

“If it was racially motivated, I don’t know. I can’t say.”

But the father said the adults responsible for the young suspects need to take a hard look in the mirror.

“As a parent, it’s our responsibility to teach our children,” he said. “The parents of these young men should be held accountable as well. The buck stops with us as parents.”

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