A Long Beach surfing standout who was brutally beaten by his high school surf teammates, threatened with death and repeatedly branded a “pedophile” on campus is suing the Long Beach Unified School District for allegedly failing to protect him.

Wilson High school surf team member William Frey alleges he was brutally beaten by two of his fellow surfing team members including Owen Keller in April 2025. Keller was upset at Frey because he was hanging out with Keller’s younger sister, according to a new lawsuit obtained by The California Post.

Frey, 17, was at his family home with Keller’s 15-year-old sister, Ainsley, on April 17, 2025, when she received a call from her brother Owen. With the phone on speaker, Owen demanded to know where Ainsley was before allegedly threatening Frey, according to court papers.

“Tell that motherf—-r that if you’re with him I’m going to beat the s–t out of him because I’m not f—-n playing,” Keller allegedly said. Three minutes later, Keller was at Frey’s door and yelling “Open the door William, I’m going to f—-n kill you,” the court papers said.

Keller was ordered off the property, but allegedly returned 30 minutes later with Samuel Katz and Joseph Ziroli, two other members of the surf team. The trio illegally entered the home through a broken back door yelling “We’re going to ruin your life”, according to the lawsuit.

Frey was found hiding in the garage after Katz allegedly kicked in the bottom panel of the garage door and entered. Keller told Ziroli to “record this s–t” then Katz and Keller punched Frey repeatedly in the head and kicked him, striking him 15-20 times each, according to the lawsuit.

Katz and Ziroli are also named defendants in the lawsuit. However, Ziroli’s father, David, told The Post his son did not take part in the beating, though he did record it.

Bystanders pulled the three alleged attackers away from Frey, who fled down the street as the trio allegedly chased him in a white Volkswagen. Frey eventually found refuge in a neighbor’s yard before making it back home, the lawsuit says.

Long Beach police later photographed Frey’s alleged injuries, which included red bruising across his back, two one-inch cuts and swelling to his head, according to the filing.

The lawsuit also claims Frey’s home suffered more than $5,000 in damage, including a broken TV.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos