Attacks by Boston youth ‘terrorizing unsuspecting citizens’ continue downtown; police can’t make arrests because many suspects ‘too young’

Authored by masslive.com and submitted by buckmelanoma77
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Boston’s mayor and law enforcement officials are struggling to handle a string of at least five violent attacks involving juveniles “terrorizing unsuspecting citizens” that have occurred across Boston.

The most recent attack happened on Wednesday night when Boston police were dispatched to Boston Common shortly after 6:30 p.m. Two women claimed they were attacked by five children. The apparent ringleader of the group — a slim 5-foot-3-inch girl is “well known to Officers as she has been terrorizing unsuspecting citizens of Downtown Boston,” according to the Boston Herald.

The girl allegedly yelled, “Why you be talking (expletive)?” at one of the women who warned the children to “behave.” The girl reportedly punched one woman’s face, knocking her glasses to the ground. The girl allegedly then stomped on the glasses before hurling more punches.

At one minor was summonsed on delinquency charges of assault and battery and destruction of property, according to a report, but authorities said the 11-year-old ringleader is too young to be charged.

A 2018 criminal justice reform law prohibits the arrest or prosecution of children under the age of 12 and limits the ability of law enforcement agencies to hold children under the age of 14, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.

“We are well aware of the ongoing public safety threat occurring in the Downtown Crossing area, and we are well aware of the juveniles identified,” Hayden said in a statement.

Hayden said he “fully supports” the law, but added the primary responsibility for preventing the attacks falls on city, state and community agencies.

“We urge those agencies to take every possible measure to intervene with the children involved,” Hayden said. “Complaints have been issued against the older juveniles identified in these attacks and we are working with Boston Police to execute those complaints. We stand ready to work with all community and government partners to address this urgent issue.”

Mayor Michelle Wu on Friday said it is “important to look at the root causes here,” and said her office is “working closely” with agencies and stakeholders, including families, public safety agencies, schools, and others to connect the juveniles to support, WCVB reported.

The Department of Children Youth and families is investigating, WCVB reported, and local police have increased patrols in areas affected by the violence.

Roughly 200 people attended a virtual Chinatown community meeting to call for more efforts to combat the violence, according to the Herald.

Police have arrested several local children in different related incidents they attribute to a “specific group of violent juveniles,” according to police reports obtained by MassLive.

Five teenagers arrested in connection with a Downtown Crossing attack earlier this month when a group of girls and one boy attacked a woman standing at an intersection, calling her a “white b---- with braids,” the report states.

The city has received a “recent barrage of juvenile incidents,” according to the report, including teenagers fighting in public, smashing storefront windows, committing aggravated assaults, and assaulting police officers.

The incidents include the March 21st attack of an 81 year-old man at a McDonald’s on Washington Street by four juveniles. Three juveniles also allegedly shattered the Silvertone Bar and Grill’s storefront window on the same day when their attempts to order alcohol were denied, police reported.

On March 23, three juveniles were involved in a fight at Black Seed Cafe that was classified as an aggravated assault & battery, according to the report.

One of the incidents is being reported as a hate crime, the Herald said.

mkayyyy01 on May 2nd, 2022 at 17:22 UTC »

I live near Boston. There are some mean ass little kids in town. It’s odd, they get those blue rental bikes, and just mob around town doing wheelies on busy streets. As you ride past them (on bikes), they just shout and cuss at you and hit on your girlfriend lol. Like, im being serious haha.

jbcmh81 on May 2nd, 2022 at 16:06 UTC »

It's nice to see kids getting off their phones for a change.

SsurebreC on May 2nd, 2022 at 15:21 UTC »

The ringleader is 11 years old. A local law prohibits the police from arresting and charging anyone under 12.