On Friday, Philadelphia Police released horrifying footage showing a group of teenagers attacking a 73-year-old man and beating him to death with a traffic cone in the middle of the street while recording it.
On June 24, seven teenagers chased after James Lambert Jr. in the middle of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, with one of them swinging a cone at the back of his head, as seen on surveillance cameras.
The 73-year-old collapses on the sidewalk, and as the teenagers round him, a girl picks up the cone again and throws it at him.
Lambert can be seen standing up and attempting to flee as the teenagers pursue him off camera, with the girl taking the cone again and appearing to hit him with it before they disappeared.
Lambert, according to police, received severe head injuries and was taken to a close hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Lambert’s family informed NBC10 that they were grieved by his murder and could not believe that it was the work of a group of teenagers.
Although none of the seven children shown in the video chasing after Lambert have been apprehended, police said they hoped the newly released footage and a $20,000 prize would assist in their investigation.
Along with the video of the event, authorities released further footage of the minor suspects, four boys and three girls between the ages of 13 and 17.
One of the male suspects had a noticeable blonde patch in his hair, while another was riding his scooter throughout the event.
Another of the accused perpetrators looked to be staggering around, as though recreating Lambert’s fall to the ground during the assault.
Officials stated that one of the suspects looked to be filming the crime on their phone, but no footage of the attack has been found on social media.
Police did not clarify what charges the teenagers might face, saying that the District Attorney’s Office will make the final decision.
The city of Brotherly Love has experienced a significant increase in violence, with total crime up more than 25% this year compared to the same period last year.
While the number of killings and rapes has decreased significantly this year, the number of assaults has only decreased by 1.47 percent, from 2,522 instances last year to 2,485 so far this year.
Meanwhile, the number of gunshot victims has increased by 5.51 percent this year, with police reporting 1,168 occurrences this year, up from 1,107 last year.
Robberies have experienced the highest increase, with 1,427 incidents reported this year, up 21.55 percent from last year’s total of 1,174.
Lambert’s death occurred just four days before Anthony Nelson, 47, of Philadelphia, was accused of shooting and killing 21-year-old Jailene Holton on June 28 at the Philly Bar and Restaurant.
Nelson is accused of opening fire after being thrown out of the venue after being informed he couldn’t use the pool table because a league was playing.
After a fight with a bouncer, the group of three guys was forced to leave, and one of them proceeded to fetch a pistol from their car.
According to Philadelphia Police Inspector Scott Small, more than a dozen rounds were fired towards the front of the pub from a distance of less than 200 feet away.
As the bullets sprayed, Holton, who was standing at the rear of the bar, was hit in the head and collapsed to the ground. Later, she died at Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital.
Nelson was apprehended by the US Marshals Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force on Wednesday at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City.
Philadelphia Police are also investigating gunshots that erupted during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display, striking and injuring two cops working at the event.
Fortunately, the cops who were wounded on Monday night, Sergio Diggs, 36, and Deputy John Foster, 44, were transferred to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition and discharged early Tuesday morning.
Foster, a member of the Montgomery County Bomb Squad, was shot in the shoulder, and Diggs, a Highway Patrol Officer, had a graze wound to the head as a result of the incident.
Police are still uncertain if the shootings were a premeditated attack on the city’s officers or if they were the result of celebratory gunfire ricocheting and accidentally injuring the men.
Philadelphia police, like in the Lambert incident, are offering a $20,00 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.