Biker Swarmed by Miscreants

Jason wrote to inform us all of a very disturbing incident that took place this past Monday night. From his message:

I wanted to inform you all of an incident that occurred last night around 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Vermont and R street. At this time a young man was riding his bike and was attacked by a group of 10 - 15 kids. I personally saw the kids after the incident around the corner without knowing that anything had happened. These kids stopped a man riding his bike and threw him [onto] a car. They damaged two cars, stole the bike and injured the man riding the bike. Luckily, my neighbors saw the event and helped the man and we all waited for the police.

The police arrived on the scene very quickly, for which everybody involved expresses their gratitude. The actual preliminary report from MPD numbers the children at four or five, so perhaps some of the children were lookouts? Also, this is not the first time a group of teenagers have worked en masse on a crime. In late December, we reported on an incident in which a group of five juveniles robbed two citizens. In that case, two of the offenders were caught and arrested, although the details of what happened afterward are not known.

Jason continues:

I think the most troubling aspect of this is that these were just kids. I was pulling up to my house and saw the group of kids walking across the street. At this time I had no idea anything had occurred. The kids were just walking down the street yelling to each other about what a great job they had done. They looked to be no older than 13 to 14 years old. It made me wonder… first, why are kids this age wandering the streets at almost 9 pm? Second, there was no fear whatsoever in them. They were no running away scared, or even hiding. They continued to walk down the street as a man lay injured behind them.

I mention this so that you can all be aware that it is not just adults that we need to be careful around. Watch yourself at night… and if you do have children in the neighborhood, please make sure you know where they are at all times.

Juvenile crime seems to be a theme in our neighborhood. From Juveniles Cruising the 'Hood last October, to various arrests over the past six months, it seems pretty clear that less vinegar isn't doing the trick.