Bullied Modesto teen thrown to the ground. A dozen others watched. Some caught the incident on video.

In a Modesto video posted to social media, a boy is surrounded by a dozen or so larger teens, some threatening and jeering, others with cellphones up following the action. At one point he is thrown from the sidewalk into the street.

The video, picturing students from Beyer High and Elliott Alternative High School, went viral on social media. It had been shared more than 24,000 times on Facebook by Wednesday evening. It was also posted and drawing comments on Twitter.

“Disheartening videos like the one we saw today happen maybe once a year,” said Modesto City Schools spokeswoman Becky Fortuna, who confirmed the students were from the two schools via email.

Comments attached to the video mistakenly link one of the bullies to Enochs High, which posted a notice of its own: “These students do not attend Enochs, however the administration at the schools where these students attend have been notified and are taking action. We appreciate the cooperation of our community and the constant support you provide to help keep our schools safe.”

The latest posting circulating likely is not the first Facebook appearance for the two short takes. In the original, presumably the bullies see themselves as tough guys. In Ronnie Duran’s post, he calls the bullies cowards for ganging up on the smaller teenager.

Dozens of comments, though crude, mirror his take on the imbalance. Several out-of-state posters offer to beat up the bullies. Many denounce the filming bystanders for not standing up to the bullies.

All Modesto elementary campuses practice the PeaceBuilder program. Upper grades are gaining positive behavior and restorative justice programs. Those are on top of the required basics listed in the Conduct Code, with reporting information for students and procedural training for administrators, Fortuna said.

“Reports of bullying are taken seriously. We encourage families to talk with their children about bullying often and remind them that the behavior will not be tolerated,” she wrote.

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Bullied Modesto teen thrown to the ground. A dozen others watched. Some caught the incident on video.."