LOWER MANHATTAN — A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the robbery and attack on two 16-year-olds in Battery Park City last month, police said.
Police said the 14-year-old knew his victims, and approached them as they walked along North End Avenue and Murray Street on Dec. 19, at about 10 p.m, police said.
A police source said that the teens had "some kind of beef."
The teen — whose name was not released — was arrested on charges of robbery in the third degree earlier this week, police said.
Police had initially said they were looking for at least two suspects, but had no additional information about whether they had identified any other suspects as of Tuesday.
Police said previously that the victims were approached by a group of individuals, who proceeded to punch and kick the two boys, then ran off with one of their wallets, which contained $3, a MetroCard and school I.D.
One of the victims was repeatedly punched by at least three people, causing him to fall and smash his head against the ground, police said previously.
The other victim was punched and kicked several times. Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital and have since been released.
The parents of the teen who hit his head said he "suffered a skull fracture and bleeding in his brain," as reported by the Tribeca Trib.
The attack on the teens sparked controversy about the efficacy of the controversial new AlliedBarton private security guards in the neighborhood — one of whom allegedly refused to intervene.
According to the Tribeca Trib, an AlliedBarton employee nearby at the time of the attack told a friend of a victim who asked him for help that he couldn't personally intervene but called Park Enforcement Patrol Officers — who, unlike the guards, carry batons and pepper spray and can make arrests.
Some in the neighborhood have expressed anger at BPCA's decision to reduce the number of PEP officers in the area in favor of private security, even going as far as to call the head of the BPCA to step down. BPCA officials said previously the number of PEP officers overseeing the area had not yet been reduced as of the time of the attack.
