6-year-old stands up to bullies in defense of friend. He ends up in hospital for his trouble.

A 6-year-old boy from Olympia, Washington, ended up with a broken arm and requiring eye surgery after he defended his friend from a group of neighborhood bullies.

What happened?

Carter English said that he saw a group of kids bullying one of his friends at his apartment complex on Wednesday, so he did what any good friend would do: He decided to intervene and try to help.

When he did, the bullies reportedly turned on him, injuring him to the point of needing extensive medical treatment. According to KOMO-TV, a group of children beat Carter with sticks and rocks, and rubbed sawdust into the child’s eyes.

The 6-year-old also ended up with multiple bruises, lacerations, and a broken arm, which may require surgery, as a result of the attack.

Carter’s mother, Dana, took him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Friday for a surgery to repair a laceration to the young boy’s eye.

“It’s been hell,” Dana said, according to the station. “I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten. I can’t do anything. I can’t even leave his side.

“They pulled rocks and pieces of debris out of his eye today,” Dana wept.

Carter said that the bullies converged on him after he stuck up for his friend.

“They were just bullying [my friend], just beating him up,” Carter said. “I just told them to stop. Then they did it to me.”

Are the police investigating?

According to KOMO, the Olympia Police Department is investigating the incident and have discovered that a 5-year-old child was purportedly the catalyst of the fight. The department has plans to involve social services, but the case cannot be prosecuted because of the children’s ages.

“I really don’t know what I’m hoping for other than for people to know that this is not acceptable,” Dana said. “Bullying is not OK. There’s no reason to bully someone ever.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for donations to help the family with Carter’s medical expenses. At the time of this writing, the page has received over $17,000 in donations — well over the $5,500 goal, which was set on Saturday.