‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Ozark’ Actress’ Son Brutally Attacked During Basketball Game

Actress Alyssa Brooke’s son Nick was brutally attacked during a basketball game at a local recreation center in Georgia last month. Now, the couple is fighting to get justice for their son, hoping that his attackers face consequences. Nick suffered a broken jaw and a severe concussion after the assault.

Footage of the July 21 assault went viral after other children at the rec center filmed it and posted it on social media. The one teenager who broke Nick’s jaw was charged with assault as a juvenile, according to 11Alive. However, Brooke and her husband, fellow actor James Knight, believe the rest of the children involved in the assault are not facing consequences. Two kids in the video attend Buford City Schools, while the teens accused of posting the video and laughing while Nick was assaulted attend Lanier High School in Gwinnett County. Buford City Schools told 11Alive the attack happened off-campus and before the school year began, while Gwinett County Schools told the outlet they do not believe its code of conduct applies in the case because it didn’t happen on school property.

“They didn’t stop it; they applauded it. And to me, that’s participation,” Brooke, whose credits include episodes of Ozark and Stranger Things, told 11Alive. “I don’t expect everybody to be a hero and run in to save the day if that’s not your style. But to laugh and applaud, and cheer, that’s not humanity.” Nick’s parents spent his 17th birthday in the hospital, watching Nick being fed through a syringe because his jaw was wired shut. His jaw was broken in three places and his doctors checked for internal bleeding. He also suffered a concussion.

Knight, who was seen in an Ozark episode and a 2015 Chicago P.D. episode, and Brooke are now calling for a more strict code of conduct that would cover student-athletes’ behavior even if they are not on school property. They launched a Change.org petition, which now has over 35,300 signatures. Knight and Brooke’s friends also launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for Nick’s medical expenses. So far, over $38,000 has been donated.

“I think we need to teach kids if we are trying to raise them to be good citizens, that there are consequences for our actions,” Nick’s father, Robbie cox, told 11Alive. “If I, as an adult, did this, I would lose my job. Even if it didn’t happen at my place of work, but for some reason, these kids are protected because it happened off school grounds, and that just logically doesn’t make any sense to me.”