The force is strong with this Riverside, California fifth-grader. Even Luke Skywalker says so.
A ten-year-old boy named Aiden Vazquez who was being bullied at his school, ended up in the hospital on Monday after other students punched in the face, called him names, and stole his backpack from him at school. Doctors even needed to use several stitches to close a deep cut above Vazquez's eyebrow.
Vazquez told his mother he refused to fight back against the bullies because it was "not the Jedi way."
"I told my mom, I got it from "Star Wars," that it's not the Jedi way," he told KMIR.
His mother, who posted the story and her outrage at the school for not doing enough to protect kids from bullying on Facebook, caught the attention of Mark Hamill, who plays Skywalker in the "Star Wars" franchise of films. Hamill tweeted a shout-out to Vazquez for his principled stand against violence early Wednesday morning.
SHOUT OUT to Aiden Vazquez for his courage & wisdom in the face of adversity. I'm so proud of you for showing that you can be a Jedi in real life. Congratulations, Aiden- The Force will be with YOU... Always!!! Your fan, mh
Hamill's tweet has been "liked" nearly 50,000 times.
Casanova said she called out the school for not doing enough to help protect her son from bullies while sharing a photo on Facebook of her boy's injuries.
This also wasn't the first time Aiden has had to put up with bullies. According to Casanova, Aiden received three stitches last year after someone pushed him up against a wall, causing a deep laceration on his cheek.
The school district told ABC 7 they couldn't comment on the incident because of confidentiality laws.
For Aiden, he's not letting the bullying keep him down. He appeared at a school board meeting this week, standing up for all the kids who get bullied at school.
Photo: Getty Images