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6 injured, 2 teens arrested in Center City flash mob attacks

Published  November 13, 2016 5:58pm EST
US
FOX 29 Philadelphia

CENTER CITY (WTXF/AP) - Two 16-year-old boys are under arrest for assault after a "flash mob" attack by some folks among a crowd of young people in Center City, police said.

Philadelphia police said soon after 6pm Saturday, a large crowd of young people were at 16th and Walnut streets, a popular spot for dining and shopping. That's when some people began randomly assaulting people on the street.

Six people were injured. Four, including an off-duty police detective and his wife, were taken to a hospital.

The 55-year-old off-duty detective saw a 21-year-old man being assaulted and tried to arrest the offenders.

They got away and he started walking back to his 53-year-old when he saw several teen boys assaulting two men, 20 and 21.

He announced he was a police officer and tried to arrest the attacker kicking the victims.

When he grabbed the suspect, several unknown people punched him from behind.

The detective's wife actually splashed water on her husband's attackers to stop them, but someone punched her in the face, and the attackers all ran away.

Immediately afterward, there was another assault by several young people nearby. Police said the sixth victim, a 28-year-old man, had minor injuries but didn't seek medical attention. The two 16-year-old boys under arrest are only charged in this last incident.

The other five victims were taken to the hospital for treatment. The police detective had an orbital fracture to his right eye while the others had minor injuries.

Police insist the investigation is ongoing, and they "will be working to gather video and other evidence" to identify suspects and determine how many people were involved.