A West Hills teenager who was seriously injured after being sucker-punched in the head by another teen in December will be featured in an episode of the syndicated talk show “The Doctors” Tuesday.
In an interview at his home Monday, 14-year-old Jordan Peisner talked about sitting down with the four doctors on the show to discuss his life-threatening injuries and the anti-bullying efforts his family launched as a result.
“I was way more nervous than I should have been but it was fun,” Jordan said about the television appearance that was taped last month. His father, Ed Peisner, added that he was touched that the show’s producers reached out to them and wanted to share Jordan’s story.
It’s “restoring my faith in mankind,” he said.
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Jordan, a freshman at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills, had just exited a Wendy’s at a West Hills shopping center with two friends on Dec. 2 when a boy he did not know punched him forcefully in the head. Jordan sustained a large blood clot in the brain, a concussion, a skull fracture and hearing loss from the incident. He can no longer skateboard — his life’s passion — or play sports due to his injuries, his father said.
A teen was arrested on suspicion of felony assault that same day, while a second juvenile was taken into custody Dec. 8 on suspicion of felony conspiracy, according to Los Angeles police. An arraignment for the first juvenile, who has not been identified because of his age, was postponed on Thursday until March. The second juvenile had yet to be arraigned, said Ed Peisner, who attended the Feb. 2 hearing.
After learning that Jordan loves theater, “The Doctors” staff presented him with a six week scholarship to a drama program at Cal State Northridge. They also surprised him with a pre-recorded message from professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, who personally invited Jordan to visit him in San Diego, Jordan said.
“It was pretty crazy seeing the godfather of skating, skateboarding contact me and say, ‘you can come down any time,’” Jordan said.
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“The Doctors,” is a “Dr. Phil” spinoff that focuses on health and medical issues.
During the show’s taping, Ed Peisner discussed their efforts with Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Encino, to draft “Jordan’s Law,” which would penalize those who knowingly record a crime and share it online for no other reason than entertainment purposes.
A video of Jordan being attacked was shot and uploaded to Snapchat by a third juvenile, who was not arrested.
Just as a get-away driver would be punished for his role in a robbery, the law would create a new class of crime for those who record and distribute a video of a crime that they have knowledge of beforehand for some type of social media value or notoriety, Dababneh said. It would also create an enhancement to the penalty for the person who commits the crime itself if they colluded to have it taped.
“We don’t ever want to curtail free speech or the ability for people to act in a way that could actually prevent crime or lead to someone being punished for a crime,” said Dababneh, who plans to introduce the bill next week. “What we’re really focused on here is the act of collusion between individuals.”
Ed Peisner has also created a Change.org petition in support of the creation of such legislation.
“I will not stop moving forward until we have laws in place for bullying and cyber bullying,” he said.
The father will also speak about Jordan’s ordeal and their legislative efforts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at El Camino Real Charter High School’s Anderson Hall, 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., as part of a program organized by the school’s Cool 2 Be Kind student club.
In Los Angeles, “The Doctors” episode featuring Jordan Peisner and his father will air at 11 a.m. Tuesday on KCAL 9.
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