Teenagers - four boys and three girls - were involved in a crime which led to the death of a 73-year-old man. The Philadelphia Police Department recently released disturbing surveillance footage on Friday of the deadly attack, which happened at approximately 2:30 a.m. on June 24.
In the footage, a group of teens can be seen chasing a person, who is unfortunately blurred, across a street in North Philadelphia. One of the teens hurled a traffic cone at the victim. A girl is then seen picking up the traffic cone and repeatedly throwing the cone at the victim. Another suspect appeared to be filming the assault on a phone, per ABC News.
Seeking teenage suspects
The Philadelphia Police Department is now seeking seven teenage suspects wanted in the attack on the elderly man. The department said, "The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground and causing injuries to his head," and added, "The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day."
Police identified the victim as James Lambert of North Philadelphia.
Police believed the teenagers were between the ages 13 and 17.
"Even I can't comprehend that teenagers would beat an old person in the street for no apparent reason," said Tania Stephens, Lambert's niece.
Police are now offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, as is the case with all open homicides, per Daily Mail.
The police did not give exact descriptions of the young people involved except to point out a blonde patch of hair on one of them. The Police Department released a photo hoping it would help to find each person involved in the crime.
Juvenile Delinquency
News of the assault comes a day after a summer curfew for minors went into effect. According to the police, through September 29, those between the ages of 14 and 17 must be home by 10 p.m. Recently, some teenagers could go out even at midnight, but those under 13 must be home by 9:30 p.m.
The modified curfew is an attempt to keep young people off the streets and safe, especially during a high-crime season.
Council Woman Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who proposed the bill that modified the curfew, said they now see young people involved in more criminal incidents and criminal activities simply because teenagers were out late.
For those teenagers found violating the curfew, police will reunite them with their families at home or the precinct and bring them to community centers established during the curfew.
Homicide Capt. Jason Smith said during a briefing on Friday that the medical examiner had determined the cause of Lambert's death as blunt force trauma.
Smith is asking the parents of teenagers involved to come forward. If they know that their son or daughter is involved in the incident, they should contact an attorney and get in touch with the homicide unit, per Newsweek.
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