This Kid Got Bitten on the Face for His Nike TNs

We all remember rocking our freshest pair of TNs to the local shopping centre on the first day of school holidays. Or at least, I do. And 13-year-old Decklan Manley will too, because a 20-year-old dude bit his face when he refused to hand them over.

The whole thing went down at Sydney’s Macquarie Centre food court in front of about 100 people. Two men approached Declan, calling him as an “eshay” before asking him where they could score drugs. The main instigator was wearing a Nautica hoodie and had a cigarette tucked behind his ear. His accomplice was wearing a Lonsdale bum bag and had the letter K tattooed on his hand.

Decklan allegedly told the two men he didn’t know where they could buy drugs, at which the Daily Telegraph alleges they told him to “come for a fucking walk.” After refusing multiple times, the men became infuriated and began taunting him.

As Decklan told the Daily Telegraph: “He bent down and touched my TNs and told me to give them to him. He said I had to give them to him or he’d snap my neck. I said why don’t you buy your own shoes and pushed him away.”

What you should probably know is that within Australian graffiti culture, Nike TNs are the holy grail. The shoes were originally a shoplifting trophy, exclusively worn by the staunchest “Lads” in the neighbourhood. The aggressive look and $280 price tag makes them a status symbol in low socioeconomic areas, and it’s a symbol wearers are expected to defend.

WATCH: The Game About Pingers, Lads and Nike TNs

Subsequently, a scuffle broke out between the Lad in the Nautica hoodie and Decklan. Onlookers watched as Decklan punched on with the guys, until one of them bit him on the cheek. For his part, Decklan claims all he remembers was the putrid smell of the guy’s breath.

The bully’s accomplice then eventually intervened and broke up the scuffle. The two men rushed out towards the bus stop, leaving Declan in the food court with his shoes and a bite mark.

Declan quickly travelled to a medical centre to have his blood tested for diseases such as hepatitis because, as he said, his attacker “looked like a drug user.”

The 20-year-old man who bit Decklan was charged with common assault on Wednesday, after being arrested on Liverpool Street in Sydney. He was refused bail and is expected to appear in Burwood Local Court on Thursday.

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