Mother of high school football player says locker room attack left her son with head injuries

DUBLIN, California – Cherie Barfield says her son Dasanni is the Dublin High School freshman who was attacked by four older teenagers and beaten in the school locker room last Friday.

“He was diagnosed with a concussion, he had a black eye and a broken nose and, of course, he’s traumatized,” Barfield said. “They smashed his head against the locker.”

She said her son was looking forward to playing his first high school football game. A photo of him in football gear hangs in her restaurant, Cherie’s Southern Kitchen in Dublin.

However, the serious injuries sustained in Friday’s attack sent him to hospital and mean he will not be able to play in the match.

The victim’s brother, Bryce Bennett, who works at the restaurant, said he received a phone call Friday from another brother who attends Dublin High School and saw the aftermath of the attack.

Bennett arrived at the school before his mother and said it was a shock when he found Dasanni.

“There was blood all over the floor, it was sickening to see that and that they even managed to get into the locker room,” Bennett said.

“His face was swollen, his eyes were practically closed and he was screaming and crying at the top of his lungs. He’s 14 years old,” Barfield said.

Barfield said his son said he had gotten into an argument with a student and that the girl’s mother confronted him after school with four attackers wearing hoodies.

“We determined that a parent of a Dublin High School student was on campus and confronted our victim at some point. We were able to see that on video as well,” Dublin Police Chief Nate Schmidt said.

Chief Schmidt said they are reviewing surveillance video and believe the attackers were between the ages of 16 and 19.

“This is something that was targeted, and I truly believe we will find out and identify who those subjects are,” Chief Schmidt said.

Some community members stopped at the restaurant on Wednesday to show solidarity with the victim’s family.

“I’m just trying to be supportive. I know there are kids involved. I don’t know the whole story, but you know, violence is not the way to solve anything,” said Karen Davis, a customer who drove from Pleasanton to order food at Barfield’s restaurant.

Barfield says she plans to host a unity brunch at her restaurant Cherie’s Southern Kitchen in Dublin on Sunday at 2pm to raise funds and awareness.

“We will be donating a portion of the proceeds, despite all of this, to the Dublin Unified School District so they can make sure they have the proper protocols in place to protect our children,” Barfield said. “There is no reason to resort to violence. So we need to educate our youth. We need to teach people that violence is not the answer.”

Barfield said she is frustrated that no arrests have been made and is talking to a lawyer about possible legal action.

The police chief said he plans to notify the school district Thursday and, given the severity of Dasanni’s injuries, if there is enough evidence, the attackers could be charged with felony assault.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dublin Police Department at (925) 833-6670.