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.
William Frey was beaten by his surf teamates. Instagram/wilsonhigh_surfteam
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.
Keller ordered his teammate to record the brutal attack with his cell phone. Instagram/wilsonhigh_surfteam
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.
Instagram/wilsonhigh_surfteam
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.
Instagram/wilsonhigh_surfteam
Following the attack, Keller allegedly continued to threaten Frey via text by sending “you got more to come.” Video of the assault was posted on the surf team’s Snapchat channel and also “circulated among the broader school community” according to the lawsuit.
Frey’s Mom Celinda Bradley, who is also a plaintiff in the suit, told school administrators that Keller was continuing to make threats on April 22, 5 days after the beating, the suit says.
Wilson High Principal Rebecca Caverly, who is also a defendant, was notified of the attack by Bradley who shared evidence of threats including audio of the defendant saying “we’ll just get you at school” the lawsuit claims.
Wilson High Principal Rebecca Caverly wilson.lbschools.net
The assistant principal, Keith Roberson, who is also named as a defendant, told Bradley he couldn’t do much because the assault had occurred off campus, the papers say.
Wilson High School Assistant Principal Keith Roberson wilson.lbschools.net
On April 25, 2025 a temporary restraining order was issued by LA Superior Court against the three alleged attackers prohibiting any contact with Frey and ordering a distance of “at least 25 yards” from the plaintiff, records show.
Frey continued to be harassed by classmates who called him a pedophile because of his perceived friendship with the 15 year old Ainsley, the suit says.
Ainsley and Owen Keller Instagram/wilsonhigh_surfteam
On May 5th an anonymous death threat was submitted through Wilson High School’s official “Say Something” reporting application that said, “I’m going to kill William Frey,” according to the lawsuit.
The school then allegedly put together a “safety plan” requiring Frey to arrive at school 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early.
Despite the restraining order that was in place, the Long Beach Unified School district “failed to implement any meaningful measures to enforce them,” and all of the students were allowed to participate in surf class, according to the lawsuit.
The temporary restraining orders were eventually dismissed.
Keller, Katz, and Ziroli were allegedly permitted to continue attending all classes, participate in surf team activities and participate in all senior activities. “Frey felt unable to safely attend these same events,” according to the documents.
Frey “isolated himself socially” and “suffered severe mental health consequences” the suit says.
Parents of the three surfers are also named as defendants in the lawsuit that asks for general, special, punitive, and compensatory damages in amounts to be proven at trial.
Requests for comment to both the Long Beach Unified School District and Keller, Katz, and Ziroli weren’t immediately returned.
Frey has relocated to Santa Barbara where he attends Santa Barbara City College, the papers say.
