Eleven New York state high school athletes accused of a hazing prank where they allegedly brandished a gun and traumatised their lacrosse teammates have turned themselves in, authorities said on Wednesday.
The student-athletes at Westhill High School in Syracuse allegedly drove a group of younger players to the woods, where one of the victims had a pillowcase put over his head and was put in the boot of a car.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick had ordered the players to turn themselves in within 48 hours or risk being prosecuted as adults.
District Attorney Fitzpatrick described the incident as “way beyond hazing”.
“I cannot really adequately express to this community the level of stupidity and lack of judgment involved in this case,” Fitzpatrick said.
Authorities said that on 24 April, at least five victims were offered a ride after a lacrosse game and were taken to nearby woods after the driver of the vehicle pretended to be lost.
“At some point by pre-arrangement, people came out of the woods all dressed in black. They were armed with what appeared to be at least one handgun and at least one knife,” Fitzpatrick told reporters.
“I’ve seen the videotape of what happened to this young man. It is not a rite of passage,” he said, referring to the student who had the pillowcase put over his head.
There were no reports of physical injuries, but the younger students had been traumatised by the experience, authorities said.
“I’m not trying to sissify American youth,” Fitzpatrick said. “If you want to welcome someone onto your team and toughen them up, maybe an extra hour of practice might be appropriate, as opposed to taking someone at gunpoint, stuffing them in the back of the car and traumatizing them for the rest of his life.”
The district attorney said the students would face misdemeanour charges of unlawful imprisonment and would be released to the custody of their parents if they turned themselves in voluntarily.
None of the names of the suspects or victims have been released by police.
Westhill Central School District Superintendent Steve Dunham said that the team’s lacrosse season has been cancelled.
In a statement, he said the district is cooperating with the district attorney’s investigation.
By BBC News
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