Photo: Twitter / Clifton Police Department
The attack was horrific.
By Dan O'Reilly — Written on May 02, 2022
A teenager in Texas is recovering from a vicious attack that was filmed by a group of people she thought were her friends.
Reportedly, Maya Tremillo was lured to a park late at night by Ahliah Vestal, a girl she believed was her best friend. Vestal had asked Tremillo to return a borrowed pair of shoes, but when Tremillo arrived and approached her friend’s car, all hell broke loose.
A video of Maya Tremillo's assault was posted on Snapchat.
Tremillo was allegedly attacked by 17-year-old high schoolers Ahliah Vestal and Savanah Walker while a third, unnamed person filmed the attack. The video was later posted on social media.
All three of the accused have been taken into custody.
The savage beating left Tremillo with a concussion, a sprained ankle, and multiple cuts and bruises.
Tremillo reportedly tried to get away when she was attacked.
According to Julie Kross, Tremillo’s mother, once the girls and the person who filmed the event got out of their car, Tremillo turned to go back to her car.
Kross explained, “Maya turned away to go back to her car and [Walker] hit her in the back of the head and just jumped on her and started beating her.”
Both Savannah Walker and Ahliah Vestal have been charged with aggravated assault and the person who filmed the assault has also been arrested and is waiting to be charged.
Maya Tremillo was being cyberbullied before the attack.
Reportedly, Tremillo was threatened online before the night of her attack. Kross said of the harassment, “They were threatening to beat her up and said 'you better watch your back, we're gonna kick your ass.’ It scared her and it scared me so we filed a police report.”
Before the attack, police reportedly told Tremillo and her mother that there was little there could do as there was no evidence a crime had been committed.
In the video, which has been mostly removed from the internet, several others can be heard and seen trying to pull Walker off of Tremillo while she continued to beat her while saying, “Go file a report on that now.”
Kross worries for her daughter following the vicious attack.
Tremillo can expect to spend some time in the hospital while she recovers from her injuries, but it’s the psychological and emotional damage that her mother is most concerned about.
Kross said of Tremillo, “She's obviously very traumatized, very depressed and I'm really worried about her emotionally. She is constantly looking over her shoulder and jumps when a car drives by. Physically, she's gonna heal, but I know the emotional things are gonna take longer.”
Dan O'Reilly is a writer who covers news, politics, and social justice. Follow him on Twitter.