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Group of teens terrorizing people in Boston strikes again

BOSTON — The group of teens attacking people for no reason strikes again. This time it happened on the Boston Common.

According to a police report, two Suffolk University students were attacked when they were trying to intervene and stop a woman from being harassed by the juveniles.

This latest attack happened around 6:30 Wednesday evening. The students told police they were walking toward the Earl of Sandwich when they saw five teens start to harass a woman with her child.

A juvenile female, who police say seems to be the instigator, starts shouting things at the woman. Then according to the report, the two students tried to intervene and that’s when police say the juvenile female punched the student, knocking the glasses off her face, and then stomped on them. The other student was pushed.

A Suffolk University student says a lot of people walk through the Common, including students, and he just wants to feel safe when he’s walking to class.

“Coming to Boston, safety was one of my selling points and the fact that I have to check my shoulder on occasion is kind of annoying,” said Diago Barrsandoval, a senior at Suffolk University. “I know some people are walking in groups, they’re getting Facebook groups organized to get friends to walk with them across the common specifically.”

Police say they recognized the female juvenile and say she’s been terrorizing people in downtown Boston.

There have been a string of unprovoked attacks involving this group of teens in downtown crossing and at two McDonald’s in the city. In many instances, the teens are charged, but one hasn’t because she is just 11 years old.

“We are working very closely to make sure these young children have the services that they need, that these families are part of the conversation and that across city and state agencies we’re engaging in the right ways,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

In this latest incident, the teens weren’t caught. There is a cell phone video that shows the teens running toward the visitor center and it’s believed they ran up the hill toward the soldiers and sailors monument.

“We are well aware of the ongoing public safety threat occurring in the Downtown Crossing area, and we are well aware of the juveniles identified,” said Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden.  “We are also fully aware of and support the 2018 criminal reform legislation, which prohibits arrest or prosecution of children under the age of 12 and limits the ability of law enforcement agencies to hold children under the age of 14.  Under this legislation, the primary responsibility for preventing these attacks instead falls on city, state and community agencies.  We urge those agencies to take every possible measure to intervene with the children involved. We stand ready to work with all community and government partners to address this urgent issue.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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