[IndianaTrails] Teens beat man for his bicycle, police say

Tue Oct 17 08:36:23 PDT 2006

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061017/LOCAL/610170387

October 17, 2006

Teens beat man for his bicycle, police say

Victim was struck in the head with 2-by-4; 4th suspect in attack is
still being sought

By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert at indystar.com

Four teens, one armed with a two-by-four, beat a 54-year-old man on the
Monon Trail because they wanted to steal his bicycle, Indianapolis
police said Monday.

"This was an ambush," Detective James Quigley said. "They were waiting
for the right victim, and Mr. (Darrell) Arthur, unfortunately, was that
victim."

Three youths, ages 16, 15 and 14, were arrested Sunday and face initial
charges of robbery and aggravated battery in the Oct. 6 attack that left
Arthur with cuts, bruises and stitches running from the bottom of his
ear to the middle of his head.

The 16-year-old is likely to be tried as an adult, Quigley said, but the
final decision rests with prosecutors. The two others will face charges
in juvenile court. Police are searching for a fourth suspect, who goes
by the nickname "Bootsy."

"Mr. Arthur was hit across the head with a two-by-four initially,"
Quigley said. "He fell to the ground, at which time he was punched and
kicked numerous times."

Police found a board they think was used in the crime. They also seized
clothing the boys were wearing at the time of the attack, Quigley said.
The teens stole Arthur's cash and bicycle, Quigley said. Police have not
yet recovered the bicycle.

The oldest boy, Quigley said, laughed as he spoke to detectives about
the beating.

"The 16-year-old, unfortunately, almost seemed proud of the act,"
Quigley said. "It was almost like he was getting excited talking about
the incident."

The Indianapolis Star does not typically identify youths accused of
crimes in juvenile court.

"This is probably one of the most heinous crimes I've seen," Quigley
said. "Mr. Arthur very easily could have been killed that night. He was
one kick away from being killed."

Arthur survived but cannot recall what happened.

"I remember thinking, 'I'm 10 minutes away from home,' and then I woke
up, and I was here," Arthur told The Star from his Methodist Hospital
bed for a story published Saturday.

Arthur was riding his bike along the trail on the evening of Oct. 6. He
recalled waiting for traffic to clear near 28th Street, so he could go
the remaining nine blocks to his house, just before he was attacked.
"I can't even tell you how many times they hit me," said Arthur, who may
suffer lingering effects of the massive head injury. "It's hard to
believe people would do this to other people."

Linda Lebelle, director of Focus Adolescent Services, a Maryland-based
Internet clearinghouse on teen and family issues, said the beating
sounds like a case in which a mob mentality took over.

"When kids get together to do something wrong, there is much more
impetus to go along," she said. "Kids go along with each other because
they want to belong and fit in. They play off of each other."

Once the violence begins, Lebelle said, the floodgate opens, and the
incident takes on a life of its own. The desire to fit in, she said, can
influence youths in a group setting to do things they would not do on
their own, or they may respond to being egged on by their peers.
"There is no rational thought," she said.

Lebelle declined to speculate on what prompted the youths to be violent
in the Monon attack but said "everything has an influence." That
includes their surroundings and home environment, as well as television,
movies and video games.

"Of course, not all kids who play video games -- even the violent games
-- go out and commit violent crimes," she said. "But there is some
concern that things like violent video games and the violence that is on
the television do desensitize people."

According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Center, about one in
nine homicides are committed by people younger than 18, and youths
account for more than 15 percent of all violent crimes. The center also
reports that as many as 40 percent of male teens and nearly one-third of
female teens say they have committed a serious violent offense by the
age of 17.

Call Star reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2761.