It’s no secret that social media has brought more attention to the idiosyncrasies of human behavior. More than anything, various platforms have shown the lengths people will go to to get attention, fleeting internet fame, and notoriety.
Mix the natural human need for attention with youth, immaturity, and millions of potential eyeballs on social media, and you might have a disaster on your hands. For one woman, that disaster looked like a mean prank that turned into a trip to the hospital.
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Lana Clay-Monaghan was shopping in Target when things suddenly went dark.
Clay-Monaghan was shopping alone at Target on Sunday in Tustin, California. She was in the baby aisle when all of a sudden, everything went dark.
At the time, she didn’t know what happened, but a group of boys had allegedly approached her and put a bucket over her head.
“Someone — I could feel their presence — put something over me,” she told FOX LA. “I had no vision, I couldn’t hear anything … it was closing in. I couldn’t breathe … I grabbed my neck and started screaming.”
Clay-Monaghan heard the prankster/attackers laugh as she hit the floor.
Eventually, Clay-Monaghan was able to pull the bucket off of her head. When she did, she saw the group of four boys laughing at her as they recorded the incident on their cellphones. After she took in the scene, she fainted.
“The worst part of this for me is that the last moment that I had … asking them for help … and they were laughing at me and I hit the ground.”
Clay-Monaghan was taken to the hospital.
Clay-Monaghan is a cancer survivor who is currently under treatment for epilepsy. As a result of the fall, she was taken to a local hospital. She’s since returned home, but now she has a warning for those who participate in pranks on social media.
“This cannot happen, we have to talk to our children. It’s not funny to go find someone vulnerable who is smaller, alone, unexacting, and for your own pleasure, to film them to strive to get a reaction," she said.
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Police are now investigating.
Not only is it morally wrong, if the unwitting victims of these pranks suffer injury, criminal charges could come into play as well.
Tustin police are currently investigating the incident as an assault and are looking at surveillance videos from Target. The police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the assault come forward.
Target also issued a statement.
In response to the incident, Target has issued this statement: “The safety of our guests and team members is Target's top priority. Our hearts go out to the victim of this incident and we appreciate the efforts of our team members who provided immediate assistance. We take any form of harassment seriously and are working closely with the Tustin Police Department as they investigate."
