Two 13-year-old suspects accused of assault and vandalism in downtown Boston have been on bail for weeks.
The juvenile suspects were brought to trial on Monday in Suffolk Juvenile Court.
One of them was charged with 14 counts of nine incidents and was sentenced on $ 5,000 bail. The other was charged with nine counts of five incidents and was sentenced on $ 3,500 bail.
Judge Peter Coyne ordered minors to wear GPS tracking bracelets if they paid bail. He also ordered them to leave home only for reasons from a school or service provider and to stay away from Downtown Crossing.
“They’re worse than monsters,” said James, 81, who said he was attacked by teenagers at McDonald’s. “They are not interested in these children. They are against the law. “
Boston 25 News spoke to James last month after he said he was slapped and nailed to a whipped cream at McDonald’s in downtown Crossing. He said he continued to feel angry as more and more cases involving the same teenagers came to light during the week.
“Something needs to be done. This is a ridiculous situation, “he said.
Some repeat offenders continue to roam freely because they cannot be punished under state law.
Authorities cannot arrest or prosecute children under the age of 12 under the state’s penal reform legislation of 2018. This legislation also provides limited detention facilities for persons under the age of 14.
“They need to change the law that punishes everyone,” James added. “They are not innocent! I don’t care how old they are. “
The series of cases began to receive widespread attention after a young woman was attacked by a group of teenage girls last month.
A police report states that the woman was targeted and severely beaten for her braided hair.
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