Teen sisters violently beaten by classmate 'bullies' in savage caught-on-camera attack

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:22, 14 April 2026 | Updated: 17:22, 14 April 2026 Two teen girls were brutally attacked during an Arizona school walkout protesting ICE, their mother says. Video captured the February attack outside Desert Sunrise High School in Maricopa, about 40 miles outside Phoenix. One of the girls, ages 14 and 16, shouted 'stop, let go of my sister,' repeatedly while the group of four other girls beat them. A 911 caller said, 'These girls are trying to fight my friends for no reason. They just hit her. Now they're jumping her,' according to audio obtained by AZ Family. 'These girls just literally came by in a car, got dropped off, and now they're arguing with us,' the caller said. Their mother, identified only as Artiesha, told the outlet that her daughters were targeted as victims of relentless bullying. 'They were victimized and assaulted, jumped by four other students that also attend the school,' Artiesha said. On the day of the attack, Desert Sunrise High was one of several schools participating in walkouts across the country to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement after two people were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. Two teen girls were attacked during an Arizona school walkout protesting ICE Their mother, identified only as Artiesha, said that her daughters were targeted as victims of relentless bullying Artiesha said her daughters participated in the demonstration and planned to walk six miles from the school to city hall.  'That video broke my heart as a mother because I couldn't get to them quick enough. I was on the phone and I got there right at the brunt end of it. I could hear my daughter saying, where's my mom?' Artiesha said.  She explained that the intended target of the attack was her 14-year-old daughter, and her 16-year-old daughter stepped in to defend her sister. 'She had a big knot on her cheek,' Artiesha said. 'She lost a lot of her hair was pulled out.' The mother said her daughter had been bullied for years, but this was the first time it escalated to physical violence. 'We've had threats. People saying they're going to bomb our house, they're going to assault me. We've had boys pin her up and push her and throw watermelons at her head,' Artiesha said. She added that her daughter has been subject to 'day-to-day harassment, body shaming, racist comments,' for years. Police determined only two of the four girls were aggressors, and submitted disorderly conduct, assault and criminal damage charges against them to the Pinal County Attorney's Office on March 27, according to the local news outlet. One of the girls, ages 14 and 16, shouted 'stop, let go of my sister,' repeatedly while the group of four other girls beat them Artiesha said her daughter had been bullied for years but this is the first time it had become physical  'Justice to me looks like accountability. It means that the parents behind it hold their kids accountable,' Artiesha said. 'It means that Pinal County ensures that this doesn't happen to anyone else. My kids were assaulted, and I want to make sure not just two out of the four is held accountable.' The Daily Mail contacted the Maricopa Unified School District, Desert Sunrise High School, the Pinal County Attorney's Office and the Maricopa Police Department.  Maricopa Unified School District officials told AZ Family they could not discuss the matter.  'Because the incident you referenced involves minors, we cannot discuss details about individual students or any potential disciplinary actions,' the district said. Police told the news outlet that at least one of the students involved is no longer enrolled at Desert Sunrise High. The school district said they did not condone the school walkout and discouraged students from leaving campus. 'As previously communicated to families, the student walkout was not organized or endorsed by Maricopa Unified School District. Our priority was student safety,' the district said. 'We strongly encouraged students to remain on campus, and we asked families to reinforce that message at home.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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