PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 14: Police officers congregate while responding to a shooting on August 14, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 12:30 PM PT – Saturday, July 9, 2022
The Philadelphia Police Department are searching for a group of teenagers who allegedly beat an elderly man to death last month. The agency announced it’s looking for four male and three female teenagers who are accused of beating a 73-year-old man to death with a traffic cone. Police identified the victim Friday as James Lambert.
“It’s horrible, it’s a horrific occurrence,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.
The incident happened June 24 around 2:45 a.m. on the 2100 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Surveillance footage showed the group approach the man on the street and begin beating him with various objects. They struck him repeatedly until he fell to the ground. He was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
“I just don’t understand what’s going on in our city,” voiced Lambert’s niece, Tania Stephens. “Where were the parents? I just don’t understand how children that age, whatever, they look like they couldn’t have been any older than 14. How are you out at 2 o’clock in the morning committing crime? I’m a senior and I’m not out at that hour. The parents, they need to turn their kids in. The kids need help. They need help.”
Philly Police need help identifying the teen attackers who struck a 72-year-old man several times with a cone and other objects, knocking him to the ground and causing head injuries. The victim died of his injuries the following day, police say pic.twitter.com/HAItlSvCig
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) July 8, 2022
A reward of $20,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. Smith says the final decision on charges will be up to the District Attorney’s Office.
Police said they’re looking into the possibility the teen suspects could be linked to other assaults in the neighborhood.