A standout surfer from Long Beach has filed a lawsuit against the city's school district, alleging that officials failed to protect him before he was allegedly attacked by two of his teammates.
Incident Details
William Frey, 17, claims he was brutally beaten by two fellow Wilson High School surf team members in April 2025 following a dispute over one of their family members. The lawsuit, reviewed by The Daily Mail, alleges that Owen Keller was upset with Frey because he was spending time with Keller's younger sister, Ainsley. Reports indicate Ainsley was 15 years old at the time, but The Daily Mail understands she was 14.
According to the complaint, Frey was at his family home with Keller's sister on April 17 when she received a call from her brother demanding to know her location and threatening his teammate. Keller allegedly said, 'Tell that motherf***er that if you’re with him, I’m gonna beat the s*** out of him because I’m not f***ing playing.'
Keller then allegedly arrived at Frey's home, shouting, 'Let me in the f***ing house right now William, I'm going to f***ing kill you.' After breaking the bottom window of the backdoor and being ordered off the property by an unnamed adult, Keller returned 30 minutes later with two other surf team members, Samuel Katz and Joseph Ziroli, according to court papers. The trio allegedly entered through the broken back door, shouting, 'We're going to ruin your life.'
Assault and Aftermath
The complaint claims the attackers found Frey hiding in the garage after Katz allegedly kicked in the bottom panel of the door. Keller is accused of telling Ziroli to 'record this s***' before he and Katz punched Frey in the head repeatedly and kicked him, striking him 15 to 20 times each. Keller, Katz, and Ziroli are named as defendants. Ziroli's father has denied his son participated in the beating despite recording it.
After bystanders intervened, Frey fled down the street while the trio allegedly chased him in a white Volkswagen before he found refuge in a neighbor's yard. The lawsuit states Frey sustained red bruises across his back, two one-inch cuts, and swelling to his head. The home also suffered over $5,000 in damage, including a broken TV.
Keller allegedly continued to threaten Frey after the attack, sending a text message reading, 'You got more to come.' The lawsuit also claims footage of the assault was posted on the surf team's Snapchat channel and circulated among the school community.
School District Response
Frey's mother, Celinda Bradley, reportedly informed Wilson High principal Rebecca Caverly about ongoing threats five days after the attack, providing evidence including audio of Keller saying, 'We'll just get you at school.' Both Caverly and assistant principal Keith Roberson are named as defendants. Roberson allegedly told Bradley he could not intervene because the assault occurred off campus.
Frey obtained a temporary restraining order against his alleged attackers on April 25, 2025, but the lawsuit claims he continued to be harassed by classmates who called him a 'pedophile' due to his friendship with Ainsley. Despite the restraining order, all students were allowed to participate in surf class, and the Long Beach Unified School District 'failed to implement any meaningful measures to enforce them,' the lawsuit alleges. The temporary orders were eventually dismissed.
On May 5, an anonymous death threat was submitted through Wilson High's 'Say Something' reporting app, reading, 'I'm going to kill William Frey.' The school created a safety plan requiring Frey to arrive 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early each day. Frey has since relocated from Long Beach and is attending college in a new city.
In a statement, the Long Beach Unified School District said it 'takes allegations involving student safety and student well-being seriously' but declined further comment due to pending litigation. Owen Keller declined to comment, and Samuel Katz did not respond. Requests for comment from Caverly and Roberson were not immediately returned.
