Chilling video shows LA teen being punched and taunted before he jumped to his death from a four-storey balcony

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026 · last updated 2 October 2026.

An 18-year-old student at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park, Los Angeles, died on Wednesday after leaping from a fourth-floor balcony following an assault by a classmate. Video footage captures the attacker knocking the victim to the ground and taunting him with the words "Run, n***a — run." The victim rose, fled along an outdoor corridor with the attacker in pursuit, and went over the railing; he was taken to hospital by ambulance but could not be saved. No charges have been announced and neither student has been publicly named.

A teacher, described as elderly, stepped in to stop the confrontation, but the attacker knocked the victim to the floor and pursued him down the hallway.

Los Angeles police said early evidence suggests the victim faced no active pursuit or threat at the moment he cleared the railing.

Marine Davtyan, the school's principal, informed parents that the campus had been placed in lockdown and that mental health professionals would be on hand to help students cope.