An unnamed white teenager has been indicted on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly trying to drown a Black juvenile in a Chatham, Massachusetts, pond on July 19.
The District Attorney’s office explained in a release that “after a Dangerousness Hearing in the Barnstable Juvenile Court on August 31, 2023, the juvenile defendant was found dangerous by Judge Silvia Gomes.”
According to ABC News, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois said the indicted 14-year-old male allegedly threw a large stone at the Black juvenile, threatened him, and called him a racial slur. The indicted white male, the victim, and one other underage attendant were present around the pond.
The victim put on a life jacket in response to the threats and told the others present that he couldn’t swim. The indicted teen and the other juvenile got into the water, and the teen “known to the court” began to pull the Black victim’s life jacket. He continued to then forcibly push the victim underwater four or five times. The district attorney reported that the Black victim experienced breathing distress as they took on water.
The other white juvenile at the scene laughed at the victim and referred to him as “George Floyd.”
The indicted juvenile dove underwater and then started to pull on the feet of the victim to submerge him in the pond once more. However, when the victim began yelling for help, a bystander responded and entered the water to help him to safety. Due to their age, all of the people involved were kept from the public.
The unnamed indicted team is being held without bail until their court date on September 13 for their first pretrial hearing at Barnstable’s Juvenile Court.
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