Three young people have been arrested in connection with the violent beating of a teenage sa国际传媒 girl that was filmed and widely shared on social media.聽
Only two of the estimated 30 people who witnessed the shocking assault, in which the girl appeared to be knocked out, tried to help her, police said Wednesday. While many other teens recorded the beating, one called police immediately and the other tried to stop the assault.
鈥淥f the 30-plus people who were standing around, watching and taking video, you showed compassion and made the right decision,鈥 sa国际传媒 RCMP Sgt. Laura Pollock said Wednesday.
Police have so far identified five 鈥渁ggressors鈥 responsible for beating the girl last Friday evening at Gyro Park on Lakeshore Road, Pollock said. All are under the age of 18, she said, and more arrests are possible, she said.聽
The three teens who were arrested have been released and no charges have yet been laid. As with any criminal investigation, a decision on charges will be up to the provincial Crown counsel.聽
The father of the girl who was beaten was at the sa国际传媒 RCMP station on Wednesday, but was prevented from attending the press conference. Pollock said she understood the mansa国际传媒 anger, but said the event was a briefing for media only.聽
鈥淥ur hearts go out to him. Nobody wants to see their child in the position that he saw his child in,鈥 Pollock said.聽
Pollock said she couldn鈥檛 provide any information on the events that led up to the assault. Video shows the girl surrounded by a large group of people, some of whom strike her and then kick her after she falls to the ground, even as she lays motionless.聽
鈥淚 won鈥檛 be able to explain why (this happened) because that is evidence that needs to go through the court process,鈥 Pollock said.聽
Police were able to identify the three people charged so far after consulting with police officers who serve as school liaison聽officers, and with representatives of Central Okanagan Public Schools.
Some crime statistics indicate violence among young people has risen since the pandemic, Pollock acknowledged in response to a question. But she suggested the incident should not be taken as generally indicative of the risks faced by sa国际传媒 teens.聽
鈥淲e are a safe community, but as a community we need to work together to help continue to educate our youth on making right decisions, and being the people that step in and stop violence,鈥 Pollock said.聽
She appealed for people to stop sharing the video of the assault, as doing so would only increase and prolong the girlsa国际传媒 suffering.聽
And Pollock warned that people who record such assaults, and other crimes, might find themselves facing criminal charges, she added.聽
鈥淲hatsa国际传媒 important to note is that, by filming something like this, you could also be aiding the offence and be an accessory to it,鈥 she said. 鈥淵outh need to be aware, people need to be aware, that filming it is not the correct way to go. We need to walk away and stop it.鈥
A reporter pointed out, however, that the recordings have helped make聽聽it possible for police to swiftly identify and arrest those believed responsible. In response, Pollock said police also had footage from surveillance cameras in Gyro Park that they used in the investigation.聽
鈥淭heresa国际传媒 other video thatsa国际传媒 available to us that is not through somebody filming it on their iPhone, for instance,鈥 she said.聽
