A California high school student is being praised around the country after a viral video (below) showed him stopping a purported bully's attack on a partially blind classmate.
The attacker, who was seen punching the visually impaired teen in the head during a lunch-hour fight, was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge and released to his parents.
The attacker was knocked to the ground after one punch from Cody Pines outside Huntington Beach High School.
The clip shows the accused bully bleeding and woozy on the ground. His friends then helped him up as Pines yelled at him for "punching a blind kid," who appeared to be OK.
Pines discussed his actions with the Huntington Beach Independent:
Cody Pines, a 17-year-old junior, said Thursday that he stepped in and knocked the suspect to the ground. He said he has known the visually impaired boy since the sixth grade.
"I felt like he was getting really hurt and I felt like it was my obligation to go up there and help him," Cody said. "That was my only reaction, to be honest. I didn't mean to hurt the [suspect] intentionally, but I just wanted to make sure my friend was OK."
Cody said he feels bad for the suspect and believes he should not have been arrested.
"I don't think he really deserves that," he said. "I think he made one big mistake and I think everybody's already punished him by telling him [he was wrong]. I really don't want this kid's life to be ruined."
Though he's been applauded as a hero on social media, Pines has now reportedly been kicked off the football team by the school, which says it has a zero-tolerance policy on fighting.
An online petition for Pines to be reinstated to the team has garnered 11,000 signatures.
Watch the video below, via LiveLeak.
(Warning: the video contains profanity.)
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