2 teens arrested, facing bias crime charges following assault of Black 13-year-old
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ALBANY, Oregon (KPTV) — Two teens have been arrested and are facing bias crime charges one week after a Black teenager was assaulted in Albany, according to police.
The assault occurred on April 13, just before 6 p.m., at Swanson Park. The 13-year-old boy was assaulted by four 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl, according to police.
FOX 12 spoke with the victim’s parents Monday, who said their son was repeatedly called racial slurs and kicked in the face.
“It was the bandwagon mob effect and it’s horrifying, which is very, very scary,” said the boy’s mother. “Nehemiah is a very friendly, good kid. Clearly has been in no trouble, absolutely, so the scenario, I mean, it was a nice kid who got bullied and it was a bandwagon effect that ended up being racial, which is ridiculous.”
Community members are standing behind Nehemiah, organizing a protest to stand against hate Friday at 6 p.m. at Linn County Circuit Court.
After the story aired on FOX 12 Monday night, Albany police sent a release Tuesday saying the 15-year-old girl and one of the teenage boys have been arrested. Both were booked into the Linn Benton Juvenile Detention Center.
The girl is facing charges of third-degree assault, coercion, criminal conspiracy, and second-degree bias crime. The boy is facing charges of third-degree assault, criminal conspiracy, and first-degree bias crime.
The investigation is ongoing. Police said the other three teenage boys involved are still outstanding.
Detectives are seeking information on an unknown female driver of a vehicle involved in the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Lee Phelps at 541-791-0227.
The Albany Police Department would like to acknowledge the Greater Albany Public Schools for their support in the investigation and their support of the families involved.
Chief Marcia Harnden states “This crime shows the ugliness of hate that exists in our society today and has no place in the City of Albany or any community. I ask our community and especially the parents of our kids to have honest discussions about treating others with dignity and respect. This incident started over hate speech and escalated when the victim stood up against that speech. Racism and hate is learned and not inherent in our DNA. We need to have honest community discussions around combating hate and their related crimes in all forms. We need to embrace acceptance and to prevent acts of racism in our society. Thank you to the numerous staff at the Albany Police Department and our community partners for making this case a priority.”
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