Assaulted on the Model Block

jesed

Hey everyone. I don't normally participate in the forums here however I compelled to share my bizarre and disturbing story with you.

I was ambushed last night around 10pm by a bunch of 12 to 13 year olds about six to eight of them on the corner of Prospect Place and Vanderbilt.

Someone hit me square on the back of the head from behind. I think they were swinging something heavy around, like a bag filled with something. You can imagine my shock to turn around and see a freakin' twelve year old girl - acting all gangster with about 6 or 7 other kids. When I started fighting back, she was surprised and then her boy counterparts stepped in and tried to beat me over the head and when I started screaming at them - they pulled out their toy guns (I think they were toys guns) and were waving them around. I finally ran across the street where there were people walking and they ran.

This happen to anyone else or am I the only one ever to be attacked by tweens? It's disturbing on so may levels.

I am uninjured and also called the cops, but there didn't seem to be much they could do.

WTF dude?

alafairnadia

wow!

first off, I'm glad you're OK! that sounds extremely scary! and toy guns?? good thing you ran for it - if they weren't toy guns, the stats are that the non-trained shooter has really lousy aim once the target is a minimum of 5 feet away. a decent gamble on your part.
I'm also glad you spoke to the police. every report helps us get more patrols, more beat cops, etc. (at least, that's what I'm hoping for)
and, finally, this just reinforces the fact that we all need to be vigilant. not in a hostile way, obviously. we all should be aware of our surroundings (that means no ipod, no cell phone blabber while walking home) and when something seems uncomfortable, bolting is the best option.

again, glad you are OK and I think you did all the right stuff.

whyfi

Pretty messed up...

Can I ask - are you male or female?

jesed

alafairnadia wrote: wow!

first off, I'm glad you're OK! that sounds extremely scary! and toy guns?? good thing you ran for it - if they weren't toy guns, the stats are that the non-trained shooter has really lousy aim once the target is a minimum of 5 feet away. a decent gamble on your part.
I'm also glad you spoke to the police. every report helps us get more patrols, more beat cops, etc. (at least, that's what I'm hoping for)
and, finally, this just reinforces the fact that we all need to be vigilant. not in a hostile way, obviously. we all should be aware of our surroundings (that means no ipod, no cell phone blabber while walking home) and when something seems uncomfortable, bolting is the best option.

again, glad you are OK and I think you did all the right stuff.

Yeah, it was really strange. I was literally having a conversation with two people before I turned the corner. There's a really dark spot on that block when you first turn on to it - and when I think back to it - I'm sure they were hiding out waiting for someone to walk by, because they definitely were not behind me when I said goodnight to the people I was talking to. I'm usually very aware of my surroundings, but am also very comfortable in that area.

And on a school night no less! Probably a dumb question, but where are their parents?

oiseau

Ghetto kids. Ah, the joys of living in NYC.

jesed

WhyFi wrote: Pretty messed up...

Can I ask - are you male or female?

I am female - I highly doubt they would have attacked a guy, they were simply too small. However, I don't think they were expecting a chic to fight back. They were only going for the head.

They actually had the audacity to tell me to "step off." I was thinking, do I have to remind you that you attacked me?

readysetinternet

my girlfriend and i were about half a block away (across vanderbilt) when we saw this all go down. by the time we came up towards where you were the kids had run off.

as we were waiting to cross the street we saw the people you said goodnight to say something to those group of kids... which immediately afterwards swarmed towards you. not entirely sure what that means... but i thought it was a little weird from the begining.

did you wait for the police to come? because i know we called as well. i would be surprised if the police didn't want to at least file a report.

jesed

readysetinternet wrote: my girlfriend and i were about half a block away (across vanderbilt) when we saw this all go down. by the time we came up towards where you were the kids had run off.

as we were waiting to cross the street we saw the people you said goodnight to say something to those group of kids... which immediately afterwards swarmed towards you. not entirely sure what that means... but i thought it was a little weird from the begining.

did you wait for the police to come? because i know we called as well. i would be surprised if the police didn't want to at least file a report.

Wow - that sounds really strange. I'm not really sure what that means either. I assumed the kids were hiding out - because I didn't see them behind me just momements before.

I called 911 and reported what happened - but opted not to talk to the police.

oiseau

The police will do anything to stop you from filing a report and thus bringing up the crime rate in their precinct.

minet

which corner? chris's wearable art; garden cafe, church/?; or the beauty salon.

minet

and- I am an ass.
I am very glad that you are ok.

jesed

Minet wrote: which corner? chris's wearable art; garden cafe, church/?; or the beauty salon.

It was the corner right when you make the turn onto the "model block" on Prospect Place from Vanderbilt - across the Haitian Baptist Church.

Quite a public spot!

jayce

Jess, let me start by saying I am so sorry for what happened to you. It sounds pretty scary and it also sounds like you kept your wits about you, which is good to hear. Best of all, I am glad you aren't physically hurt... maybe just a little shaken and probably had your sense of safety taken from you for a bit.

I got mugged a block from where you got attacked last year. Like you, I walked away uninjured if not a little shaken up. Ok a lot shaken up. And while there was a part of me that just wanted to let it go, I filed a police report. Not that I wanted the few dollars he got back, and lord knows I wasn't going to get my sense of safety back, but because I wanted to make sure that I did what I could to hold him accountable for what he did and what he was likely to do to someone else.

In the end I was amazed by the work of the NYPD. It sucked to look through all the photo arrays and all that, but with my limited information a pattern emerged to the robberies and attacks and my case was sent over to the Brooklyn Robbery unit that handles patterns of robberies across the borough. With my case and a few others all fitting a pattern, they were able to get the guy who did it. Unfortunately not after he had stepped it up and beaten someone pretty badly. He had a gun in every attack reported but mine. He did some jail time for the robberies and the attack.

I can't help but wonder why you don't want to report your attack to the police. I know its a pain in the ass. I know you probably just want to move on. But you never know when you have just a little more information to get the case and others like it linked and eventually solved. plus, I think its really important that the statistics on crime in the neighborhood be accurate and representative. We want our home to feel safe, its part of our responsibility to do that.

I'm not meaning to be preachy, so much as to encourage you to reconsider filing that report. You might be surprised what will happen.

jesed

Thanks so much for the words of advice. Your situation sounds extremely frightening - sounds lucky there was no gun involved. Glad you're ok.

The police are actually on their way over right now and I'm filing an official report. I called right before I read your posting. Definitely should have done it last night, but the woman on the other end of 911 was not so encouraging.

Thanks again.

jayce

Yeah, the 911 folks could use a little work. good luck with the reporting.

shishkab

hey, jesed, i've got nothing to add except to say that i'm so glad you're alright, and bravo to you for refusing to be a victim!!!

sending warm wishes your way

alafairnadia

good luck. keep us posted!

jesed

Will do. Thanks everybody. (:

Cheers.

minet

across from the haitian church- on Prospect place. on the even side of the street across from to 233 prospect?
once again- I am so sorry

jesed

Yeah - right there. I just filed an official police report.

Since I didn't have any physical marks on me and although I was pummeled on the head, they could only file the report as harassment as opposed to assault.

However, once I finished telling them what happened and how a kid pulled out, what I thought was a toy gun - they reported menacing. They seem to think the gun was real as it was silver - and I guess you can't buy silver toy guns???

News to me.

shishkab

true, you can't buy 'em that way, but you can spray paint 'em afterwards. you were probably right the first time -- they were probably toy guns...

jimmylegs

at least in this country, they no longer manufacture toy guns that have realistic colors, they're usually some neon color now and have the safety-orange tip. but toy guns could certainly be painted to more closely resemble real guns. and then there's the flip side: remember recently there were reports of criminals painting their REAL guns to make the appear to be toy guns!

this town is starting to look like City of God!

armchair_warrior

glad you are okay. i hope they get the punks.

sje

Police have told me that for kids this age, there is NOTHING they can do, except contact the parents, that is if they catch them. The kids know it, and that's why they have no fear. Where do you think they learned this behaviour?

Sorry this happened to you. I avoid groups of punk tweens like the plague, for this reason.

i love hate

welcom to up and coming ph

armchair_warrior

i say take the parents for what ever they got!!! parents should be responsible for them. and they should get licenses to give birth in the first place!!!

elitt

Subject: if that's true

sje wrote: Police have told me that for kids this age, there is NOTHING they can do, except contact the parents, that is if they catch them. The kids know it, and that's why they have no fear. Where do you think they learned this behaviour?

Sorry this happened to you. I avoid groups of punk tweens like the plague, for this reason.

then the only thing they'll understand is a solid beat-down - i would have no trouble administering

sterlingguy

I am so sorry this happened to you. As some may recall, this happened to my wife and I last fall (except it was a knife). I called the cops, but they didn't believe it was report-worthy... I am glad you persevered.

jesed

SterlingGuy wrote: I am so sorry this happened to you. As some may recall, this happened to my wife and I last fall (except it was a knife). I called the cops, but they didn't believe it was report-worthy... I am glad you persevered.

Wow, that's just disgusting on the part of law enforcement. What does it take to merit it report-worthy, probably a serious injury of some sort.

If you don't mind me asking, were you and your wife robbed and were you approached by a group or an individual?

That's terrifying - I'm happy to hear you both made it out alright...

qtrain

jesed wrote: If you don't mind me asking, were you and your wife robbed and were you approached by a group or an individual?

read all about it here

sterlingguy

thanks, gtrain, for linking it up. i was about to do it, but didn't know how (and maybe can't, since i am not a moderator). three teenage guys, no money lost, it sucked, but we were okay. no problems ever since.