Baltimore store owner says he was attacked by group of minors who stole ice cream

BALTIMORE -- An Upper Fells Point store owner and his stepson were assaulted by a group of minors who stole about $50 worth of ice cream on Sunday, the store owner told WJZ.

Security cameras obtained by WJZ show about a dozen minors on bicycles descending on a corner store on Gough Street where the assault and robbery unfolded.

"They just hurt him"

Julian Macias said he confronted the suspects and held on to one of their bikes while his 13-year-old stepson called the police for help. Security cameras from the store show some of the minors picking up nearby traffic cones and store boxes.

Macias said the group started to target him and his stepson with the items, and at one point, took their cellphones and allegedly hit the screens over their heads.

"They just hurt him and slammed him on the ground and tried to get him," Macias said. "So that's when I went after them trying to protect the kid from getting beat up. And they all started to jump on me and hit me with whatever." 

The store owner said the minors eventually left the area before police arrived.

"The law is supporting them"

Macias said the real concern was not about the stolen goods but about his family's security with his pregnant fiancé working at the store during certain hours.

"The point is, it's not as much as they took," Macias said. "It's about what they can do in the future, which is whatever they want, because the law is supporting them."

Police have not announced any arrests.

 Recent juvenile crime

Within the past week, police have investigated multiple brazen robberies that involve young offenders assaulting victims. 

On Friday in Highlandtown, three 14-year-olds were among those arrested for allegedly targeting businesses for their cash registers.

In some of the six unarmed robberies or attempted robberies that police investigated in the community, the victims reported being physically assaulted by the assailants. 

The trio were then sent home to their guardians by the Juvenile Justice Center, according to police.

An employee of a mattress store hit on Eastern Avenue relived how he said it went down on the evening of September 27.

"I don't have no cash on me because everyone pays with credit cards," the employee said. "And then they get mad, they broke my phone here, all my things on the floor then I stand up and try to go outside and when they see me try to lock the door, they run away."

In Butchers Hill, a 66-year-old man named "Bernie" was beaten unconscious just feet from his home during a violent armed robbery near Patterson Park. He was left with bruises and seven stitches near his eyebrow. 

While an 18-year-old faces attempted first-degree murder in this case, a 15-year-old accomplice was released from JJC to a guardian.

Both have previous arrests, police confirmed.

"The legislators really just gotta wake up a little bit, man," Bernie said. "They can't let this continue to go on. They're giving these young people a free pass and they're not helping them."

More accountability

During a press conference Monday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said there not only needs to be services available for young offenders but accountability. 

"We cannot continue to see these kind things," Scott said. "These are things I've expressed to our partners in the state. We've discussed these things every other week."