Gregory Medina, a single father and chef working with a homeless charity in San Bernardino, California, was attacked while relaxing in his apartment complex's hot tub by two 13-year-old boys, who kicked him in the head and stole his phone. The boys later told him they carried out the assault to film content for TikTok, an incident that left Medina with a concussion and unable to take time off work despite ongoing pain, and which has drawn attention to the risks of social media-driven "prank" attacks on strangers.

Surveillance footage captured the attack on 14 August, showing one boy kicking Medina from behind while the other snatched his phone; he was later diagnosed with a concussion and suffered headaches, nausea and dizziness. A week later, the boys' parents turned them in to police, and both were charged with felony robbery, with one also facing an assault charge; Medina subsequently met the teenagers at the police station, said he forgave them, and a GoFundMe has been set up to cover his lost income and medical costs.