‘Parachute kid’ gets 3 years for brutal California assault

ROWLAND HEIGHTS, Calif. – A so-called “parachute kid” from China who was involved in a brutal attack on a Southern California classmate is going to prison.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/29FIyho ) says Zheng Lu received a three-year sentence on Tuesday for last year’s attack in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles.

Authorities say Zheng and others kidnapped an 18-year-old classmate and took her to a Rowland Heights park where she was stripped naked, beaten, burned with cigarettes and forced to eat her own hair.

Investigators say the dispute partly involved an unpaid restaurant bill.

Zheng, who’s 20, pleaded guilty to assault. Three other students are serving sentences ranging from six to 13 years.

All were “parachute kids” — Chinese teens who live with paid host families while attending U.S. high schools.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/