A 12-year-old boy was arrested and charged with hate crimes Wednesday following an alleged violent attack on two Hasidic Jewish boys in Brooklyn on May 12, New York Post reported.
The incident was captured on video, which Williamsburg 365 News shared to social media. The video shows the young suspect confronting a dozen boys in front of a condominium, according to the New York Post. The preteen was charged as a juvenile with aggravated harassment and assault, both as hate crimes. At a press briefing, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny provided details on the incident.
“On video we see him riding back and forth on the sidewalk past this group of boys,” Kenny told reporters, New York Post reported. “They’re kind of hogging up the whole sidewalk. So there was some kind of interaction between the perpetrator who seems to be either a light-skinned male black or male Hispanic, with the Hasidic kids.”
Disturbing video footage showing the perpetrator assaulting and beating kids on Franklin Avenue on Sunday night. @NYPD79Pct @NYPDBklynNorth pic.twitter.com/Fiwh8F7NQp
— Williamsburg 365 News (@Williamsburg365) May 15, 2024
“He gets off the bike, walks up to the group, states, ‘Get off the sidewalk,’ and then begins to assault the two boys as the rest of the group runs away towards safety,” Kenny added, according to the Post.
The confrontation escalated as the suspect got off his bike, approached the group, and reportedly demanded they clear the sidewalk before physically assaulting two Orthodox Jewish boys, ages 11 and 13, while the others fled to safety, the outlet noted.
The suspect allegedly shoved one boy to the ground and knocked down another, then kicked and stomped on him. The victims sustained minor cuts to the backs of their heads. (RELATED: ‘F*ck All You Guys’: Video Shows Woman Launching Unhinged Tirade Toward Jewish Children On DC Subway)
Initial statements suggest that the suspect made no explicitly antisemitic remarks during the attack, according to the New York Post.
