PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police are trying to identify a group of teens that randomly attacked four people last week in the Spring Garden neighborhood, sending three to the hospital.
The incidents happened on May 21 between 9 and 10 p.m. The first was at 20th and Hamilton streets. Police said two men in their 30s encountered a group of about 15 to 20 teenagers — a mix of boys and girls — mostly wearing all black and surgical masks.
The group punched and kicked the two men.
"One of the males was assaulted in the body and face," said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore. "He actually lost some teeth in his mouth and he suffered some bruising on his face. The other male had similar injuries to his face and body."
Another man was on a bike at 19th and Spring Garden streets when he was nearly robbed, but he was able to get away unscathed.
"[They] try to pull the bike, the bag and his wallet from him," said Vanore. "This individual is able to fight the juveniles off and escape."
The third attack happened at 16th and Hamilton streets. The victim was struck several times in the head and eye, knocking him nearly unconscious. One of the witnesses mentioned being hit with something like a traffic cone.
"There was really no motive behind it, no argument," said Vanore. "There's no real reason for these assaults."
Vanore said investigators are making significant progress identifying the group with the help of area surveillance video. He said they have evidence that the group rode SEPTA to the Center City area.
"We are pretty confident that we are going to be able to identify some of the individuals from what we have already, so we are urging somebody if they want to cooperate, if they want to come in and talk to us, we are urging them to give us a call," he added.
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