An 11-year-old girl was punched, kicked and hit with a rock during a brutal attack in the Bronx, according to surveillance video viewed by NY1 and police.
“The other girl say, ‘I want to kill you,’” said Neliana Garcia, the victim’s mother.
Garcia said when she saw the video of her daughter being assaulted, the child was still visibly traumatized.
What You Need To Know
Two Bronx mothers said their daughters were attached by the same gang of girls in the last month
An 11-year-old girl was the victim of the most recent attack, with police saying she was punched, kicked and hit with a rock
Police arrested a 15-year-old girl Tuesday and charged her with assault
Both mothers are calling for the other alleged attackers to be arrested as well
“When I saw the video, I saw my daughter saying sorry,” Garcia said. “’I don’t know what I did but if I did something, sorry.’ I say, ‘Sorry for what?’”
Police said the attack happened Sept. 22 just before 6 p.m. near Waring and Holland avenues in the Bronxwood section of the Bronx.
Garcia said the attackers targeted her daughter while she was outside with her small dog.
“She was running,” Garcia said. “They was chasing her. And my daughter running five blocks.”
After the girl was on the ground, one of the assailants kicked the dog, sending it several feet.
The video shows good Samaritans rushing to help the girl while she lay on the ground.
Police arrested a 15-year-old girl Tuesday and charged her with assault.
“How can we prevent that?” said civil rights activist Pastor Cheryl Singletary. “We need help from everyone.”
Hours after the arrest, Garcia gathered with religious and community leaders at the scene of the crime.
“I need justice,” she said. “It’s three girls. Not only one.”
Garcia was joined by Sarah Velez, who said her 17-year-old daughter was attacked by the same group of girls on Aug. 30 in broad daylight.
“I ran over when she gave me a call,” Velez said. “I felt like if I wouldn’t have been there on time, it would have been a different story because they technically almost had her pinned to the wall.”
Velez said she no longer lets her daughter leave the house alone.
Garcia said the beating caused her daughter’s epilepsy to relapse, triggering daily seizures.
“Depressed,” Garcia said. “She don’t want to eat. She don’t want to see people. She’s crying constantly. And she’s getting the seizure every night.”
Both Garcia and Velez said they will not feel safe until all three girls seen in the video have been arrested and criminally charged.
The victim’s dog was also hospitalized after suffering internal injuries.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.