Four teenagers have been charged with attempted murder after allegedly assaulting an unhoused Binghamton man as part of a social media trend.
The Binghamton Police Department responded to a report of an unconscious man lying on the sidewalk at about 11 p.m. on April 27 in the area of Carroll and Henry streets in the City of Binghamton.
At the scene, police located an unconscious man on the sidewalk, who appeared to be injured and was displaying signs of “medical crisis,” according to a BPD press release. Binghamton Fire Department EMS along with Broome Ambulance responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
An investigation revealed that the victim, a 45-year-old Binghamton man without a permanent residence, had allegedly been assaulted by a group of five teenage boys at around 9:30 p.m. that night while walking alone on the sidewalk on Carroll Street. The teenagers involved fled the area by foot and the victim walked a short distance before becoming unconscious from injuries sustained during the assault.
Police said on the evening of April 29 the victim remained in critical condition with “serious physical injury” to his head and body.
After an “extensive video canvass” and “several interviews” throughout the day, all five of the teenagers were identified, located and taken into custody by 5 p.m. on April 28.
Police were able to determine through investigation that the assault was a targeted act toward the victim related to a social media trend in which such assaults of unhoused or drug addicted people on the street are recorded and posted on social media by the attackers. The victim and the five teenagers were allegedly not previously known to each other.
The five teens, who ranged in age from 13-15, have not been identified due to their ages. Two 15-year-old boys and two 14-year-old boys were charged with second-degree attempted murder and have been arraigned in Broome County Centralized Arraignment Part Court and remanded at arraignment to a secure juvenile detention facility in Syracuse.
The 13-year-old boy was released to his guardian, but criminal charges are anticipated to be filed as the investigation continues, according to police.
The investigation into the attack is ongoing in collaboration with the Broome County District Attorney’s Office.The Binghamton Police Department asks anyone with information to contact the Binghamton Police Detective Bureau at 607-772-7080.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Four Binghamton teens charged in ‘social media trend’ assault
Reporting by Jillian McCarthy, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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