A Group Of New York Children, One As Young As 8 Or 9, Violently Attacked, Robbed A Man [Video]
A group of children, one of whom appears to be as young as 8 or 9 years old, attacked, beat, and robbed a man in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn last month, WCBS-TV (New York) is reporting.
The crime took place at about 12:30 a.m. the morning of Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving, and police released surveillance camera footage of the assault this week. You can see the assault in the video below, but be warned: this video contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some viewers.
Two boys who appear to be between the ages of 12 and 14, two girls of a similar age, and a boy who appears to be about 8 or 9, can be seen accosting a 30-year-old man; the victim would later say that the children demanded his phone. The kids can then be seen punching the man and throwing him to the ground. They then made off with the man’s laptop, headphones, and a library book.
As of this writing, none of the children in the video have been identified, and police are asking for the public’s help.
NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill, in remarks made available via WNBC (New York), said he was “distressed” that kids so young could commit such a violent act. However, he also promised to prosecute the kids for their crime.
The crime has shocked the residents of Fort Greene. Resident Barbara Speregen was particularly upset that an eight-year-old would be involved in a violent beating.
“I mean I imagine he’s tagging along with some older kids, but why is that happening? Why don’t his parents or adults in his life know where he is?”
Similarly, Gabriel Alfredo was concerned about parents either not knowing or not caring that their kids were out and about in the wee hours of the morning.
“My son can’t be in the street at 12 o’clock and be in the house, and he’s 14. Maybe their parents don’t care about the kids.”
Gylen Bryant is alarmed at the lack of respect children have for adults.
“I think that’s horrible, and I think the kids today, the parents need to actually have more control over them. Because that’s ridiculous, that’s their elder, and they should respect him and that should not happen.”
The Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, like just about any urban neighborhood in America, is a mixed bag. Resident Steven Matt, writing in Quora, says that the neighborhood is a mix of gentrified, upscale areas combined with some parts of it that have seen better days.
“If you’re living on the outskirts of Fort Greene, it’s not a safe neighborhood. If you’re living well inside the gentrified bubble, it’s actually very safe.”
The Clock House of Clinton Hill (1914) Before the Co-ops, there was this. @ftgfocus #FortGreene #Brooklyn #history https://t.co/PS1NsigkvA pic.twitter.com/nAeV5qCApZ
— BrownstoneDetectives (@BrownstoneDetec) December 6, 2016
This is not the first instance of mob violence involving small children. On November 24, the day before the Brooklyn assault, the Daily Mail reported that a mob of schoolchildren had gathered in south London to watch a fight between two girls. When police turned up to break up the fight, the kids turned their rage to the cops.
The mob of children kicked, punched, and threw to the ground the two police officers. Both of them suffered minor to moderate injuries in the assault. Only one arrest was made following the assault — a 15-year-old boy, who was booked on suspicion of assault causing bodily harm.
Back in Brooklyn, police are asking anyone with information about the violent assault involving a mob of violent children to step forward.
[Featured Image by ArtOlympics/Shutterstock]
