ASTORIA, NY — Two 16-year-old girls have been charged with attempted gang assault and multiple other offenses following the brutal beating of a 15-year-old girl at the 46th Street subway station in Astoria, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.
The June 2 attack took place shortly after dismissal from William Cullen Bryant High School, where both the defendants and the victim are students. The victim was followed into the stairwell of the subway station and attacked by a group of teenagers.
“A high school student was mercilessly tased, kicked, punched and stomped on by a mob of fellow students at a train station after dismissal from William Cullen Bryant High School,” Katz stated. “This will not be acceptable behavior here in Queens and I will hold students accountable for this behavior to the extent the law allows.”
According to the charges, the attackers attempted to steal the victim’s bookbag during the assault. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries.
ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO GROUP ASSAULT
The two defendants, both from Elmhurst, were arraigned Tuesday on multiple charges including attempted gang assault in the first degree, attempted robbery in the first degree, multiple counts of assault and robbery, and attempted grand larceny.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Bruna DiBiase ordered both defendants to return to court on June 18. If convicted of the top charge, each faces up to 15 years in prison.
District Attorney Katz noted that the investigation remains ongoing as authorities examine the involvement of other individuals in the attack.
The charges highlight a pattern of escalating violence among teenagers in the borough, prompting law enforcement to take swift legal action.
Two Queens teens now face serious felony charges after a violent group attack left a 15-year-old girl hospitalized in Astoria.
