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Teen Threatened With Knife and Beaten in Williamsburg Park Known for Fights

By Serena Dai | April 29, 2015 3:50pm
 A 13-year-old girl was threatened with a knife and beaten by three other teen girls in the park, a spot where police have increased their presence after locals complained of fights.
A 13-year-old girl was threatened with a knife and beaten by three other teen girls in the park, a spot where police have increased their presence after locals complained of fights.
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DNAinfo/Serena Dai

WILLIAMSBURG — A 13-year-old girl was threatened with a knife and beaten with an umbrella by three other teens inside a local park — a spot where police recently increased their presence after complaints about teen rowdiness.

The victim was walking through Sternberg Park, at Boerum Street and Lorimer Street near Lindsay Park Housing, to pick up her sister from school on Thursday, April 23, at about 2:30 p.m. when three teenage girls approached her with a knife, police said.

One girl then beat the victim in the head and body with an umbrella while the other two girls punched and kicked her, police said.

The girl suffered pain to her head, bruising and scratching to her face, and pain in her knees, police said.

No one has been arrested for the incident, and it's unclear what sparked the attack.

Locals have long complained that teenagers fight and curse loudly in the park after school, creating an "aggressive" environment by disturbing parents and younger children who go to the playground.

In some cases, dozens of students from local schools — particularly I.S. 318 — have congregated at the park to witness fights, locals and police said.

In response to the issue, police created a "safe corridor" in the area about two months ago, increasing police presence and allowing students walking into local businesses to feel safe, according to 90th Precinct Community Affairs Detective Juan Roman.

Regular fights have decreased significantly as a result, Roman said.

"We don't get cases like this," he said, referring to the use of a knife. "Usually it's fistfights. I was very surprised."

Several regular parkgoers confirmed that the green space has been quieter in the last couple of months.

Bianca Acosta, 25, said she stopped bringing her 7-year-old daughter to the park due to the cursing and fighting, which had started to scare her kid. She started coming back recently when the arguments died down, she said.

But word that a knife had been pulled surprised and scared Acosta, who has only witnessed fistfights, she said.

"It makes me not want to bring my daughter," she said. "How do I explain something like that to her?"

Alleane German, 67, takes her grandsons to the park every day and agreed that arguing amongst local teenagers has gone down significantly in past weeks.

She hasn't been threatened by any teens herself, but she worried that the altercations create a bad environment for the community, driving away parents who would usually bring their kids to the park.

The appearance of a knife is unusual, she added.

"It disturbs me," she said. "Then people don't want to bring their kids. It doesn't make the community better.

"If they're not fighting, it makes it more comfortable for everyone."

Police are still investigating Thursday's incident.