Two brothers, ages 10 and 14, turned themselves in after the Philadelphia police asked for information about a group of teenagers who beat a 73-year-old man to death with a traffic cone.
Horrifying footage shows how the gang of seven teenagers James Lambert Jr. down the street before waving a cone at the back of his head.
The insensitive group even filmed themselves during the brutal attack in the early hours of June 24, on Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Philadelphia.
Two boys turned themselves in to the Homicide Division yesterday, but no formal charges have been filed yet.
Police have not released their identities and they are still relying on information about the other five members of the gang.
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner said it was “highly likely” that the youths involved would be charged with murder.
He told CBS, “This is a very very active investigation, hour by hour things are happening.”
The footage shows Lambert falling onto the sidewalk after hitting the back of the head with the traffic cone.
James Lambert Jr. tried to escape the teens, but a girl snaps a photo of the cone and appears to hit it over the head as the teens chase the desperate man. Two brothers, 10 and 14, have now turned themselves in to the Philadelphia Police Department in connection with the violent attack
The video captures the moment when the seven teens chase after 73-year-old Lambert, 73, of Philadelphia, around 3 a.m. last month. One of the teens holds a traffic cone in his hand as he approaches their alleged victim
Police said Lambert (pictured) suffered several head injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He is then surrounded by the group and one of the girls picks up the cone again and throws it at him before trying to get up.
The teens then chase him off the camera, with the girl grabbing the cone a third time and hitting him with it as they disappear from view.
Police said Lambert suffered several head injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Lambert’s family said they were heartbroken by his death and in complete disbelief that a group of children were allegedly behind this.
Tania Stephens, Lambert’s niece, told… Fox 29 Philadelphia: ‘I just don’t understand what’s going on in our city.
“He’s walked that path for 60, 70 years of his life, and to see his life being wiped out like this is just incredible.”
“I don’t understand how kids that age, how can you guys commit a crime at 2am.
“Where were the parents, those pins are heavy to pick up with so much force and throw not once but twice at an elderly person’s head and then laugh at it.”
Lambert’s sister, Elsie Stephens, has made a heartfelt plea for the other teens involved to turn themselves in.
She told CBS, ‘Let them turn themselves in, turn themselves in, how can you let us suffer like this. You took him from us.’
A teenager hits Lambert on the back of the head, causing both Lambert and the cone to fall into the side path during the brutal attack on June 24. Footage shows their victim struggling to get up and get away from his alleged attackers
After the first traffic cone attack, a girl grabbed the makeshift weapon a second time and threw the Lambert, who was lying on the ground
Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information about the seven teens, but cannot confirm the charges
Police believe the teens recorded the attack on one of their cell phones and even laughed as they reenacted the deadly attack as they walked down the street
A $20,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of each suspect.
The Philadelphia Police Department is still looking for five other perpetrators, whom they describe as two black men and three black women in their early to mid-teens.
Along with the video of the incident, police also shared additional clips of the young suspects, four boys and three girls, who they believed were between 13 and 17 years old.
One of the male suspects had a blond patch on his hair, while another rode his scooter throughout the incident.
Another of the alleged attackers appeared to be hobbling around, mimicking the moment Lambert fell to the ground during the attack.
Officials said one of the suspects also appeared to be filming the incident on their phone, but police have yet to find a video of the attack on social media.
Police did not specify which charges the teens would face, saying the final decision would rest with the prosecutor’s office.
Anyone with information is requested to contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/3335.
The teens chased after their victim who disappeared from the camera. He was rushed to hospital but died a few days later from a head injury.”
Philadelphia has seen a drastic increase in violence, with total crime rising more than 25 percent so far this year compared to the same time in 2021.
While the number of murders and rapes has fallen significantly this year, the number of assaults has fallen by only 1.47 percent, from 2,522 incidents last year to 2,485 so far this year.
Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims is up 5.51 percent, with police reporting 1,168 cases so far this year, up from 1,107 last year.
Robberies have seen the biggest increase, with 1,427 cases reported this year, up 21.55 percent from 1,174 reported last year.
Lambert’s death came just four days before Anthony Nelson, 47, of Philadelphia, reportedly shot and killed 21-year-old Jailene Holton at the Philly Bar and Restaurant on June 28.
Nelson is accused of opening fire after being thrown from the venue after being told he would not be able to use a pool table because a league was playing.
After a struggle with a bouncer, the group of three men had to leave, after which one member went to get a gun from their car.
Jailene Holton, 21, of Philadelphia, was shot while standing in the back of the Philly Bar and Grill on June 28. She was having a night out on the town with her friends
Anthony Nelson, 47, was arrested at Harrah’s Casino, Atlantic City in connection with the death of Jailene Holton, 21, of Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Police Department is also currently investigating gunfire that broke out during the city’s July 4 fireworks festival, which left hundreds of people fleeing for their lives.
Holton was at the back of the bar when a bullet hit her in the head after more than a dozen shots were fired from less than 60 yards away.
The Philadelphia Police Department is also currently investigating gunfire that broke out during the city’s July 4 fireworks festival, which struck and injured two officers working at the event.
Officers Sergio Diggs, 36, and Deputy John Foster, 44, were transported to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition and released early Tuesday morning.
They suffered minor injuries in the shooting, in which Foster, assigned to the Montgomery County Bomb Squad, was shot in the shoulder, and Diggs, a Highway Patrol Officer, who suffered a head injury.
Police are still unsure whether the shooting was a deliberate attack on the city’s officers, or whether it was the result of celebratory bullets ricocheting and accidentally hitting the men.
As with the Lambert attack, the Philadelphia Police Department is offering a $20.00 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.