Members of a highschool lacrosse program in upstate New York are accused of staging an armed abduction of youthful gamers in a stunt that “went method past hazing,” prosecutors stated this week.
All 11 folks believed to be concerned within the occasions linked to the group at Westhill Excessive College in suburban Syracuse have turned themselves in to face expenses, the Onondaga District Legal professional’s workplace stated Wednesday. They got look tickets for a later date.
District Legal professional William Fitzpatrick had given the scholars till Thursday to return ahead voluntarily and face solely misdemeanor expenses of illegal imprisonment. He warned Tuesday that those that didn’t could be charged with extra critical felony kidnapping.
Fitzpatrick stated the group was a part of a “ruse” that concerned inviting youthful gamers to observe a sport after which go to McDonald’s. However one participant was tied up, blindfolded and put into the trunk of a automotive.
“I cannot adequately express to this community the level of stupidity and lack of judgment involved in this case,” Fitzpatrick stated. “This goes way, way beyond hazing.”
Fitzpatrick stated an individual driving the youthful gamers on the group pretended to get misplaced and pulled over in a distant space the place different contributors within the prank lay in wait within the woods, armed with at the least one knife and a weapon that seemed to be a gun.
That’s when the scholars launched the pretend abduction.
There have been at the least 5 alleged victims arrange within the stunt, however some managed to get away, Fitzpatrick stated.
The one who did not escape had his fingers tied and a few kind of hood positioned over his head. He was led to consider he could be deserted, however was ultimately returned residence. Whereas the scholar wasn’t harm bodily, “emotionally, that’s going to be long term,” Fitzpatrick stated.
“This is not lighting a bag on fire on Halloween and sticking it in your driveway, this is criminal activity,” he stated, including that it might have led to a deadly capturing if police had come throughout the scene and noticed “a child with a hood over his head being kidnapped at gunpoint.”
The occasions had been captured on video, and Fitzpatrick stated the native sheriffs workplace recognized the 11 folks — a few of 18 years outdated — whom they consider participated both straight or not directly.
Requested if all had been members of the boys’ lacrosse group, Fitzpatrick stated it “seems that method, however I do not know that.” He famous stories that the district’s superintendent had canceled the remainder of the varsity group’s season.
Messages looking for remark had been left for Westhill College District Superintendent Steve Dunham.
In an announcement supplied to Syracuse.com earlier this week, he stated: “Our top priority is always the physical safety, mental health and well-being of our students” and that “any behavior that negatively affects any of these aspects for other students will be addressed promptly and appropriately according to our Code of Conduct.”
