ACT Policing has arrested and charged a 22-year-old Page man following an alleged assault on Bradley Mason, 17, at the Belconnen Mall on Friday.
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Police arrested the man on Saturday afternoon.
He was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was released on Watch House bail. He will face the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday, April 23.
Bradley had been in the mall's food court with his father Graeme and friends at the time of the alleged assault.
Ambulance treated him at the scene and he was then taken to Canberra Hospital, where he stopped breathing several times.
After sitting by his son's hospital bed all night and with tears in his eyes, his father Graeme pleaded to find his boy's attackers.
''I want them caught and punished,'' he said.
''They can't do this to people.''
Bradley is still in Canberra Hospital's intensive care unit. On Saturday the teenager who loves bodybuilding told his father he could not remember the attack which happened at Westfield Belconnen.
He said he could only recall a trip to the gym earlier on Friday, before he was punched.
''It was a father and son day,'' Mr Mason said.
Friends have flooded the family with messages of support. One from North Queensland has asked Bradley to be sent to their place, a 12,000-hectare farm, to recuperate.
''He's a good boy,'' said Mr Mason, a chef and former boxer.
''He doesn't smoke or drink or do bad things.''
Bradley recently saved money to buy a second-hand BMW.
As Fairfax Media reported recently, Belconnen town centre is at risk of overtaking Civic as Canberra's No.1 crime hot spot, according to an analysis of the latest ACT crime data.
Mr Mason said the attack happened when he, his son and some of his son's friends were at Westfield on Friday. One of them was approached by two young males.
It is alleged one of the offenders was verbally targeting Bradley's friend. When Bradley went and asked his friend if he was all right, Mr Mason said one of the young males punched Bradley in the side of the head.
Bradley fell and smashed his head on tiles.
The Ginninderra College student is being treated for suspected brain injuries.
Police have not updated their Friday statement that investigations are ongoing.
Any witnesses can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit the Crimestoppers website.