LILBURN, Ga.,None — Fourteen-year-old Miguel Mesa says his eyes bear the trauma of a senseless prank -- that police said could be prosecuted as a felony.
Miguel told Channel 2 Action News reporter Sean Callebs that he was walking home from Lilburn Middle School along a stretch of Lawrenceville Highway when a group of teens in a gray van threw what Mesa and his friends thought were water balloons.
Turns out the balloons contained bleach. Miguel said he instantly fell to the ground blinded and in pain.
"It was just like burning really bad ... I was just hoping I wasn't going to go blind because every time I opened my eyes I couldn't see anything," said Miguel.
Miguel's father took him to Gwinnett Medical Center where he was treated for "severe trauma to his face" as well as burns to both eyes, police said.
His heart sank when he saw Miguel.
"I just pray ... and I just want to give up my eyes ... my life for my son," said Severo Mesa.
Lilburn police said the attack started as part of an end-of-the-school year stunt where seniors pick on middle school students.
Police said it went over the line. Witnesses described the suspects as three Hispanic males in their teens.
"They were driving a gray van with a black stripe on the van.. We don't have a tag number but we believe that information is sufficient enough to get us the tip we need to solve this case," said Capt. Bruce Hedley.
The Lilburn Police Department is seeking information from the public on the location of this van as well as the identity of the suspects involved in this incident.
This case has been assigned to Investigator Kim Banks and she can be reached by calling 770-921-2211.
WSBTV
