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An Airdrie mother is speaking out after her 13-year-old daughter was assaulted by a group of youths in Calgary’s Prince’s Island Park on Aug. 15.
Dominika Tworek said her daughter had attended an all-ages rock show and had been texting home and sharing her location as usual. About 15 minutes after her last message, Tworek’s phone rang.
“She was screaming, ‘Mom, help me. I’m getting jumped. I don’t know what to do,’” Tworek said. “It’s something I would not wish upon anybody.”
“Honestly, I thought it was like some adults, or some, you know, transient or some drug issues or something downtown,” she said. “My child could not make it, my child could get killed right now, as I’m on the phone with her.”
Tworek called 911 and drove to the park. “By the time I arrived, this group of teens had left, and I pulled up to my daughter on the ground surrounded by friends, throwing up and bleeding and crying,” she said.
“Having a mob of probably over 10 individuals beating up your child is just as scary and just as bad. And she’s also very lucky to be standing,” she added.
Police confirm incident
Calgary police said the assault happened shortly after midnight on Friday, Aug. 15.
“It is believed the teenage victim and her friends were at Prince’s Island park, near the 800 block of Second Avenue S.W., when they approached a group of teens who were sitting in the area. The victim and her friends began to initiate a conversation with the other group, however it was not reciprocated.
“The victim started to walk away, when an undetermined number of suspects, believed to be youths, began physically assaulting the victim and took her personal belongings. The victim fled the scene and a passerby called police.
“Upon arrival, officers searched the area, but were unable to locate the suspects. The investigation remains ongoing and investigators are reviewing evidence including CCTV footage from the area.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information about the incident is asked to contact police.”
Videos under review
Videos of the assault also circulated on social media, Tworek said.
“There’s Instagram pages on fights and videos of other people beating kids, like it’s really heartbreaking,” she said.
Mother details injuries
“Her ears were bleeding. She had a black eye. The side of her temple was extremely bruised and swollen,” Tworek said. “Kicks to her head, the back of her neck and her shoulders were pretty bruised. Her arms from where she was protecting herself.”
Nearly a week later, Tworek said recovery is uneven.
“She is a ray of sunshine, and I think she sees so much light in the world that she’s trying really hard to stay positive about this,” she said. “But she even said today … she’ll be fine one second and the next, she’s crying and doesn’t understand why this is happening to her, why what she did to deserve it.”
Parental hesitation
Tworek said she had long struggled with allowing her daughter to attend the shows.
“I really struggled letting her go to these shows. I would drive her, I would sit and wait and pick her up … I truly did trust her. And I think, you know, the biggest problem with all of this was it was her kindness that got her into trouble,” she said.
She said she hesitated to go public until her daughter agreed.
“I got hundreds of messages, texts, people reaching out and just really shocked and saddened for my daughter,” she said. “Now the other side of it was how many individuals shared their experiences … I didn’t know the severity of this kind of behavior and how common it was.”
She said many parents have since contacted her about similar incidents.
Call for accountability
“I just want people to know that this isn’t an isolated incident,” she said.
“At the end of the day, these are crimes. It’s children against children. It doesn’t matter. There needs to be stronger, stricter guidelines and consequences,” she said. “In our situation, it was a group of 17-year-old teenagers and a 13-year-old girl. Well, let’s talk about trying them as adults. This isn’t child behaviour anymore.”
She added: “It’s a slap on the wrist. And to be honest, a lot of kids do not want to come forward, because the sooner they do, the worse it gets in the schools and in the bullying and all of that.”
Victim services weigh in
Amy Carlson, interim CEO of the Southern Alberta Regional Victim Serving Society, said in a written statement that families impacted by assault “often face shock and emotional overwhelm.”
“They may struggle with disrupted routines, navigating complex systems, and finding the right words to support one another. When the victim is a young person, there can also be a loss of their sense of safety and emotions such as fear, anger, guilt and confusion.”
Carlson said when youth are accused, the Youth Criminal Justice Act brings additional considerations, such as privacy protections and different sentencing options.
She recommended parents ensure immediate safety, seek medical attention if needed, contact police, and connect with victim services. “A health professional can address both physical and emotional impacts, even if there are no visible injuries,” she wrote.
Youth crime trends
Police say youth-related crime in Calgary has declined by about nine per cent compared to last year, but remains six per cent higher than the five-year average.
“While the rate of violent offences committed by youth is consistent with 2024 levels, there has been a 17 per cent increase relative to the five-year average, primarily driven by assaults and robberies,” police said.
“We are seeing increasingly concerning behaviours amongst youth, and it’s a call to action for all of us,” said Insp. Sarah Roe of the Calgary Police Service’s Youth Services Section. “It’s going to take co-ordinated efforts across families, schools, community organizations and police to intervene early and support youth in making better choices.”
Message to parents
Tworek said she hopes those responsible “heal” and find guidance, and urged parents to “step up” and be more involved.
“These girls need some love or guidance,” she said. “To their parents … step up. Know more about your kids. I’m a very involved mom, and this still happened.”
She also praised the support her family has received.
“CPS has been wonderful … Victim Services has been amazing … I can’t thank everyone enough, and I’m pretty honoured that … we’re surrounded by such an amazing community of people,” she said.
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