Halil Yilmaz’ black eye is a reminder of a terrifying incident at a Kelowna, B.C., bus stop last week.
“He punched me,” Yilmaz said. “Every time I touch it, I feel a sharp pain.”
Halil, who is only 11 years old, and his 12-year old friend Finley Vandenhoorn, had just finished a drop-in youth group activity session.
They walked over to the nearby bus stop on Springfield Road near Gordon Drive where the pair say they were assaulted by a man, who appeared to be more than twice their age.
“Shocked. I was really shocked and scared,” Yilmaz said.
The boys said it all started after they jokingly asked a woman, believed to be in her mid-20s and also waiting for the bus, for her phone number.
Shortly after, a man, believed to be the woman’s boyfriend, showed up.
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“He came up to me and then kicked me and then I tried grabbing my phone, running and calling the police,” Vandenhoorn said. “And then I looked back and he was on top of Halil.”
Yilmaz said the man pushed him to the ground and punched him.
The pair said he also took photos of them before demanding they go away.
That’s when they were able to call police and then their parents.
“He was crying on the phone,” said Reyhan Kutsal, Halil’s mom. “He said, ‘Mom, somebody beat me up at the bus stop,’ and then I was shocked.”
Kutsal told Global News her son had just started riding the bus on his own this summer.
“I always want to drive him but he’s at that age, I don’t know, he always wants to take a bus with his friends but now he doesn’t want to after what happened to him,” Kutsal said. “I don’t want him to take the bus anymore, I think. You know, he’s too young still.”
While RCMP confirmed they are investigating the incident, they would not elaborate any further.
“As this investigation involves a youth and remains ongoing, I’m unable to provide any comment at this time,” stated Sgt. Laura Pollock in an email to Global News.
According to the boys, the suspect had distinct features, including blonde hair streaks at the front of his face, pierced ears and sleeve tattoos on his left arm, which included an eye in a spider web.
The families of the boys are hoping police are able to track the suspect down.
“This person should be caught so he doesn’t do it to any other kids,” Kutsal said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
