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Series Of Brutal Attacks In Morningside Park Prompts Rally For Action

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A 13-year-old girl in custody and police are looking for at least one teenage boy who they believe are involved in a string of attacks in upper Manhattan.

Police believe that teen is part of a group of kids between 12 and 15 years old who have been attacking people Morningside Heights, reports CBS2's Ali Bauman.

CBS2 spoke tonight with one man who believes his husband was also attacked inside this park by a similar group of teens

This 60-year-old man has been in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury since April 17, ever since when his husband says he was randomly attacked and beaten in Morningside Park by 113th Street around 4 p.m.

On Thursday night, upper Manhattan residents rallied in the park for the victim and to end youth violence.

"CAT scans revels he was hit in the head in numerous places," said John Riley, the victim's husband. "This was broad daylight, what's going solve the problem is if we get schools to get involved to create social spaces."

Police say there's been at least three other attacks by a group of teenagers in and around Morningside Park over the past month.

In those incidents police say a group of male and female teenagers punched and attempted to rob three different women between April 11 and April 23 - two of those attacks outside and one in the woman's own apartment building lobby.

Police tell us they've increased patrols in and around Morningside Park in response to these attacks. They are also in the process of installing a camera inside of the park.

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