Police: Teens Stole Candy From Trick-Or-Treaters, Assaulted People With Bats
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Police say groups of teens terrorized trick-or-treaters and used bats and boards to attack people in Baltimore on Halloween night.
It happened in Federal Hill, on Calvert Street downtown, and on Spring Lake Way in north Baltimore, in the quiet residential Homeland neighborhood.
The Baltimore Police Department got several reports of frightening attacks -- groups of juveniles behind assaults and robberies in the city.
In one attack, a bat and board was used to assault people. In another, a large group of juveniles reportedly stole people's candy, and when someone tried to stop them, that person was pistol-whipped.
"That makes me scared, yeah," says Homeland resident Ann Cessaris. "That would terrify me."
In the attack near her house, police say a large group of teens assaulted two younger people, and it got worse when a person intervened.
"Someone tried to stop this and the suspects in this incident used some sort of weapon, it appears to have been a handgun, and possibly pistol-whipped the victim," said Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith.
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"I don't know why these kids are doing it," says longtime Homelane resident Brigitte Sutherlin. "I am speechless. I am really speechless that this is happening and I am really very sad about it."
Another attack by young people happened in the afternoon downtown on Calvert Street. A large group gathered, robbing another group, and police arrested three teens.
And in Federal Hill, a string of assaults and robberies. In at least one case, the teens involved were armed with a bat and wooden boards.
"When you're faced with that young 15-year-old old who's powerful, holding a bat in front of you, what are you going to do, what are you going to say," says Smith. "We're not going to make excuses for that type of behavior. We can't. We can't continue to do that. It's not fair to the victims of these crimes who, mainly, were just minding their business."
A message went out from the private Friends School saying they learned that several of their 8th graders were verbally harassed and physically assaulted by a group of older children while out trick-or-treating. The statement says there was some physical harm, but they will be OK. It's unclear if that is connected to the other attacks detailed by police.
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