Watch CBS News

Teen In Coma After Brutal Attack At South Bay Mall Showing Signs Of Recovery

SANTA CLARA (KPIX 5) -- There's a bright spot in the slow recovery of a teenager who was brutally assaulted in the parking lot of a South Bay mall and left in a coma several weeks ago.

This is the moment Christian Rasner's family had anxiously been waiting for.

Rasner was awake, alert and out of the medically induced coma he's been in ever since he was savagely attacked in a parking lot outside Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara.

The 17-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury in the attack. For several weeks, his prognosis and recovery were anything but guaranteed.

But as doctors began to wean him off the medication that kept him in a coma, Rasner's father says his son and wife shared a special moment that signaled to the entire family that he was on the mend.

Christian Rasner
17-year-old Christian Rasner remained in a coma Friday after he was brutally attacked in a parking lot at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall. (family photo)

His father says it is also came as a great relief when police arrested 25-year-old Truong Huynh for his son's attack.

He added that for the first time last weekend, his son was able to get out the hospital bed and stand up with help. He hopes it won't be long before he's able to stand on his own again.

Rasner will remain in the hospital for several more weeks undergoing physical therapy.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.