Brooklyn teen mob attack: Seven more suspects arrested in brutal daylight attack on 15-year-old girl
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Authorities have arrested seven more suspects in connection to the vicious attack on a 15-year-old girl in broad daylight on a Brooklyn sidewalk last week.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that five boys, accompanied by their parents, had turned themselves into police custody at the 77th Precinct stationhouse for questioning for the March 5 attack, which was caught on surveillance footage.
The video shows the victim running in front of 216 Utica Ave in Brooklyn at around 4:10 pm and falling on the pavement, at which point a group of around 20 teenagers swarm over her, kick her, and beat her until she's unconscious. One of the perpetrators then steals her Air Jordans, while a few of the others steal her phone and debit card before leaving her on the sidewalk fleeing the scene.
The victim, whose identity has not been revealed, was taken to NYC Health & Hospitals/King County and was treated for trauma and bruises. She was later released from the hospital to her family for recovery.
It was reported that the attack was in retaliation for the victim beating up another girl earlier the same day. The teenagers who beat her up are said to have been friends of the girl who was beaten up by the victim.
The five boys who turned themselves in this past weekend have not yet been identified, and on Saturday, March 7, were charged with robbery and gang assault. Judge Deepa Ambekar denied prosecutors’ request for $10,000 bail for each suspect, and instead released the boys on their own recognizance.
The seven teens, all between the ages of 14 and 16, apprehended following the latest round of arrests were also charged with robbery and assault in connection to the incident, according to NBC New York.
Calling the attack "outrageous," Assistant Chief Jeffrey Maddrey of NYPD Brooklyn North tweeted, "We cannot allow this behavior in our community. While this is still an active investigation, several suspects are in custody."
"Please help us identify the individuals responsible for this brutal Robbery/Gang Assault and bring justice to those responsible for the victim and her family. If you were in the area of Utica Ave and Park Pl & witnessed this incident or can identify #CrownHeights we need your help," he added.
Anyone with information about the identity of the individuals still at large is advised to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).