Police seek suspects who randomly attacked people in Roxbury, Mission Hill
BOSTON - Boston police are looking for a group of teens accused of randomly attacking multiple people including a disabled person in the Roxbury and Mission Hill area.
The 30-year-old mentally disabled man was sitting outside TGI Fridays on Tremont Street when police say a half dozen teens suddenly pounced on him Friday morning. The group punched him and then stomped on his face when he fell to the ground, apparently for no reason. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
"I think it's horrible that you can't just sit outside and enjoy your morning or whatever without being scared of people coming to attack you for absolutely no reason, I think it's disgusting," said Elan Mendivil, a Wentworth student.
It's a busy corner with plenty of surveillance cameras and police have now gone public with pictures of four suspects, including one with very distinctive pants. But police now say the attack was only one of at least three within minutes of each other on Friday morning.
Two other young men say suspects of the same description jumped them on nearby Pontiac Street, punching both victims in the face repeatedly and stealing one's cellphone.
"I'm just scared of going out already because I am a woman but now that this has happened especially in this neighborhood where I'm usually at at night, I think it's just really terrifying," said Christy Gonzalez, a Harvard Medical student.
As police urge people to be cautious and alert, some of the students who frequent this area of Mission Hill wonder about what triggers such behavior.
"I think it's almost promoted now on certain social medias and how easy it is now for kids to see that," said Tristan McDonough, a Wentworth student.
But it's the seemingly random nature of this violence that really bothers folks.
"If that's happening in our own community it just really doesn't give me a lot of hope," Gonzalez said.
Anyone who recognizes the suspects is asked to contact Boston Police.
