Parents, Children On Alert As Muggers Target Upper West Side Students
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was a warning Wednesday night, for parents and children on the Upper West Side where several students have been mugged walking to and from school.
Police said the muggers have been targeting kids in broad daylight and have gone after at least 5 victims in the last two months. The kids are normally walking alone in the 90s near Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
"I actually got really scared. My parents told me not to carry more than $15 in my wallet and leave my phone and credit card in school," Govind Ramakrishnan told CBS2's Cindy Hsu.
Parents, Children On Alert As Muggers Target Upper West Side Students
The muggers have gone after phones, and in one case, punched a 13-year-old boy in the face during the attack.
In another incident a 15-year-old claims he was approached from behind, grabbed around the throat and warned, 'don't scream or yell.' He was asked if he had a phone before the attacker went through his pockets, found nothing, and ran off.
On Wednesday, February 4, a 13-year-old boy was grabbed by the neck near 93 Street and Columbus Avenue. The suspects demanded his cell phone, but the victim struggled and the suspects fled empty handed.
On Friday February 6, suspects punched a 13-year-old boy and fled after he ignored their demands for items that he was carrying in his pockets.
Just before 7 p.m. on Saturday, police say the group approached a newsstand at Broadway and West 93rd Street and began stealing candy bars while one suspect paid for his purchase. The man working the stand told the suspects to put the items back. The suspects assaulted the man and fled the scene.
Eric Anthamatten has taught self-defense for more than 20 years, and said kids need to be alert and aware of their surroundings.
"So basically the moment you put these (earbuds) on, you're completely making yourself deaf to the world," he said.
Adding a phone to the mix doesn't help either.
"You might as well be walking down the road like this, you're making yourself a victim, you're making yourself a target," he added.
Anthamatten said parents should show kids what they should do if the worst happens.
"As soon as they come on you, you keep that space, that radius. Okay, I've got my wallet, I've got my wallet, here's my wallet, I'm putting it right here, okay there it is, now leave me alone," he said.
One student who did not want to be identified said he was mugged last year when he was 14 and the strategy worked.
"I threw my wallet in the other direction from the guy because I know he only cared about the money, and ran," he said, "It taught me that sometimes like being on your phone and sending that one text isn't as important as your safety."
It's a lesson a lot of people need to learn.
Police say the suspects are black males ranging in age from 13-17.
