Councilwoman Rikki Spector Back on the Job After Attack
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- City councilwoman Rikki Spector is calling for tougher penalties on juveniles who commit crimes.
It comes just days after police say two teens threw the 80-year-old on the pavement and punched her in the face during an attempted carjacking.
Despite her harrowing ordeal, Councilwoman Spector attended her last city council meeting and she stressed how the state needs to change how it deals with juvenile offenders.
"There is something radically wrong with our juvenile justice system," said Spector.
She came away with no serious injuries and City police Commissioner Kevin Davis called councilwoman Spector spirited and tenacious.
The attack happened in a secure parking garage just after 10 a.m. Friday.
"I tell you, if they had gotten my car, they would have killed somebody, because they would have, police would have pursued them," said Spector.
Just one day after her brutal attack, Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector was at a meeting, with a black eye after two teens, ages 13 and 15 attacked the fiery 80-year-old.
The councilwoman was in her car inside the garage.
"They open the door and I look up and there's these two kids in school uniforms and school bags, and they said, 'b***h give us your car!' I said, 'you son of a b*****s, get out of here," she said. "They pulled the door open, and they busted me in the face and pulled me out and threw me across."
While the teens were able to steal the car, they were not able exit the garage because they didn't have a fob to open the door.
Generally there's nobody in that garage and there were two men working.
Hearing the commotion, two men were able to hold the 15-year-old until police arrived. Both teens were likely brought to the Juvenile Justice Center once arrested. Because of Maryland state laws, WJZ doesn't know what happened to the teens once they arrived. How the state law deals with juvenile offenders is something Commissioner Kevin Davis criticized after one of the teens was arrested.
City police announced that the 13-years-old's criminal past within the past year includes: carjacking, robbery, destruction of property, two separate stolen auto charges and four occasions were drugs were part of his arrest.
"This young man, charged with a strong arm robbery, will be home before all of us are home today. And I think that requires the state to examine its juvenile justice laws and the challenges they represent to public safety," said Davis.
"You keep doing good things, the good lord takes care of you," she said. "We need to access, we need to save these kids, and we need to save ourselves."
The next phase is to attack legislation dealing with kids under the age of 16 not being held accountable for their crimes. She says that's not helping the city nor the kids who are often repeat offenders.
Commissioner Davis says the City has seen an increase in youth lead robberies this year. Recently the police department quadrupled its robbery detectives to combat the rising crimes.
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