YORK CITY, PA - Most people have seen the violent attack perpetrated by a mob comprised primarily of people of color on a woman in the early morning hours of September 12. Now, three female juveniles have been hit with criminal charges stemming from the attack near the York College of Pennsylvania, law enforcement officials announced Friday.
The New York Post reports that the charges “range from felony riot to misdemeanor simple assault, defiant trespass, and harassment,” announced York City Police Captain Daniel Lentz during a press conference. The identities of the juveniles were not disclosed due to their ages.
According to York County District Attorney Tim Barker, despite being prosecuted through the juvenile court system, which focuses “on rehabilitation,” the criminal thugs will still face “serious consequences” for the attack, probably along the lines of a stern talking to and a slap on the wrist.
“We absolutely will fully hold accountable the individuals that did this,” Barker said.
At around 1:50 a.m. on September 12, a mob of black agitators went to the off-campus home of a group of female York College students in the West Jackson Street area. Video captured the wild assault where several of the students were dragged by the hair, punched, kicked, maced, and beaten unconscious. The crowd of ruffians had gathered for an illegal street race, aka “teen takeover,” aka riot, when at least one of the girls asked the mob to get off their property, one of the victims told Fox-43.
“After the first punch was given, all these girls started to rush us, and that’s where it kind of gets blurry because I think people were coming at me...I turn and see my friend get dragged by her hair down our porch steps and disappear. My other friend got dragged by her hair,” said the unidentified student.
Another victim told the outlet she went unconscious at least twice during the assault, once when she was kicked in the ribs and another when she was struck in the head.
“I don’t exactly remember how I got out of it, but I was encircled by probably 30 people by myself getting video recorded while getting punched and kicked from every angle,” she said.
Video captured at the scene shows a blonde victim getting kicked and beaten while she lay on the ground, while another group of assailants unloaded with a fusillade of punches on another victim outside the home, clips obtained by Fox 43 and WGAL showed.
Police said they could not confirm how many victims were beaten during the assault, only confirming that it was more than one person, The Post reported.
Barker noted that all the injuries sustained by the victims during the riot met the legal definition of “bodily injury,” meaning they were not life-threatening.
“We absolutely thank God for that.”
Lentz said investigators found no evidence of racial motivation from the victims, suspects, or witnesses, and the incident is not being treated as a hate crime.
Answering allegations that 911 calls were not responded to before the attacks broke out, Captain Lentz denied that assertion.
“Rumors have circulated that 4-5 [911] calls went unanswered. These allegations are not accurate,” he said.
Rather, “numerous calls were made simultaneously” to 911 operators at 1:49 a.m., and two minutes later, two adjoining police departments were contacted to provide “mutual aid response,” the captain continued.
The Post reported that the York City Police Department earlier said that surrounding departments were called because at the time, its department’s officers “were fully engaged in a previous, ongoing critical incident investigation.”
The first York City officers arrived on the scene at 1:52 a.m., at which point the crowd began to flee, Lentz said.
Capt. Lentz said going forward, the department will increase police presence, and a “zero tolerance” policy toward quality-of-life issues in the West Jackson neighborhood will be implemented.
Barker, meanwhile, said such “pop-up events” often spiral out of control and are a threat to communities everywhere.
“Juvenile crime is an issue not only here in York City, not in York County, but across the country. The type of gathering that existed here, unfortunately all too frequently, results in violence rather than individuals enjoying an evening. And that’s what happened here,” he said.
“That is why we must be ever vigilant in going ahead and disrupting these types of gatherings anywhere and everywhere we can.”
So-called “teen takeovers” are a relatively new phenomenon and have led to violence nationwide, with USA Today reporting the shooting of a teenager in Florida, the killing of a person in Illinois, and multiple arrests and injuries in states such as New Hampshire and Virginia. The trend has been fueled by social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and others, the Florida Times-Union reported.
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