11-year-old boy attacked while riding bike at Delaware County playground, police say

Police are patrolling a Delaware County playground after a group of older children attacked an 11-year-old. Neighbors say this has happened before.

"It’s scary to think there are kids out there picking on the younger kids in the neighborhood," his father Mark Britton said.

Police were out around Eddystone Elementary School's playground Tuesday after investigators and the father of an 11-year-old boy say he was attacked there Monday evening while playing with his friends.

"My son didn't even see them. They came up from behind and punched him and then took off," Britton added.

Britton says his son, who is a fifth grader, was riding bikes in the playground with his friends just before 7 p.m. when they were approached by a group of young men.

"They were a bunch of kids all with their hoods drawn and masks on so they couldn't see their faces or anything," Britton explained.

The chief of police says his department is investigating and trying to identify the person who threw the punch. Patrols have been stepped up near the playground. .

While police search for surveillance video of the attacker, neighbors say there have been problems before around the playground with kids from outside the area. Britton says his son is okay and went to school on Tuesday, but he's concerned this could happen to another child.

"With the limited things kids can do now in the pandemic world we live in it's nice to have a safe place for them to play,"  he said. 

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