Harlem Residents Say They're Being Terrorized By Gang Of Teens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Residents in an area of Harlem have been afraid to leave their apartments, amid fears of being attacked by a violent group.
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, many in the area say they already have been terrorized by the teens.
"They was kicking me. They was dragging me," said one mother. "I really thought I was going to die."
The woman, who lives in the King Towers along 112th Street in Harlem, was too afraid to show her face after she said the large group of teenagers in the community terrorized her family.
She said cellphone video also showed her daughter being assaulted while the gang of teens cheered her attacker on.
"There is a crowd of gang people watching and videotaping my daughter in this fight," she said.
The mother said two days after the incident, but she and her daughter were beaten by the same group.
"They started pounding on me," she said. "They dragged me out of the building, out the hallway, on the first floor lobby."
She said the teens dragged her down a flight of steps until she was able to get up and run away, and she was not the only one.
"They can jump on me," a man said. "They can jump on my grandmother."
The man said the group also assaulted young members of his family. He too did not want to be identified.
"My family got destroyed, beat up, and now everyone's worried about coming outside going to work or going to school," he said.
The Rev. Jack Royster is now helping the woman and her daughter find a safe place to say. He said the gang is out of control.
"They beat up kids, parents, and just running amok," Royster said.
Royster has been trying to bring awareness to the problem.
"The gang is trying to get more territory, and they do that by intimidating other younger people," he said.
The mother said she wanted the NYPD to step in, and fast.
"They think because they are teenagers, they're going to get away with it," she said.
The NYPD confirmed that three reports have been filed regarding these assaults, and said an active investigation continued.
