Shawmut MBTA attack one of several recent incidents of violence involving kids

DORCHESTER -- Two men were brutally beaten by a group of teenagers at the Shawmut MBTA stop in Dorchester on Monday. One of the victims tells WBZ-TV that the teens approached him demanding money.  

"When I say, 'I don't have money', he kicked me in the face."  

The man doesn't want to be identified, but says he's parked at the stop for years with no problems. 

"There were a lot of people kicking. I fell on the floor. I hurt my hip, I fell on my left hand." 

He says they continued to beat him on the ground. His cheek was swollen, and he hurt his wrist from the fall. 

It's the latest in a string of incidents involving kisd around the city, including the Boston Common and Downtown Crossing, where storefronts have been vandalized and victims randomly beaten. Some involved were as young as 11 years old. 

Just Wednesday, Kate Darling was on the red line travelling from Park Street Station when the intercom was hijacked by a group of teens The MBTA is reporting several of these types of incidents. 

"We're in the tunnel and the intercom kept going on and off. And we heard someone hollering," 

It was disturbing enough that she got off and walked the rest of her route. 

"I didn't know if it was just the PA system or whether someone was actually driving the train who wasn't supposed to be," said Darling.  

The question is how to hold children accountable for criminal offenses, especially some under 12 years old who can't be arrested or prosecuted. 

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden supports the age limit, but says the increase in these juvenile crimes is a broader issue.  
"We've got to make sure we're providing services and opportunities and making sure they've got support and things to do to keep them active during the summer."  

The 69-year-old-victim says he's still feeling the pain, and while a 15-year-old was arrested for the Shawmut beating, the search continues for five more juveniles.