Philadelphia police released shocking video Friday of a group of teenagers attacking a 73-year-old man, beating him to death with a cone in the middle of the street while filming him.
The horrific scene, captured on surveillance cameras, begins with seven teenagers chasing James Lambert Jr. on June 24 in the middle of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, one of them swinging a cone at the back of his head.
The 73-year-old man falls over on the pavement and as the teenagers surround him, a girl picks up the cone again and sends it at him.
Lambert can be seen getting up and trying to get away as the teenagers chase him off-camera, with the girl again grabbing the cone and appearing to hit him with it before they disappear off-screen.
Police said Lambert suffered multiple head injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The video captures the moment seven teenagers chase after 73-year-old James Lambert Jr. of Philadelphia. One of the teenagers has a cone in his hand as he approaches the senior
The teenager hit Lambert on the back of the head, sending both the 73-year-old and the cone tumbling onto the sidewalk during the brutal attack on June 24
As Lambert runs away from the camera, a girl takes a picture of the cone and appears to slam it on his head as the teenagers chase after the desperate man
Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information about the seven teenagers
Police said Lambert (pictured) suffered multiple head injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead
Lambert’s family told NBC10 they are heartbroken by his death and in complete disbelief that a group of children were allegedly behind it.
None of the seven children seen in the video chasing Lambert have yet been arrested, but police said they hope the newly released video and a $20,000 reward will help investigate the incident.
Along with the video of the incident, police also shared additional clips of the young suspects, four boys and three girls, who are believed to be between the ages of 13 and 17.
One of the male suspects had a noticeable blond streak in his hair, while another was riding his scooter throughout the incident.
Another of the alleged attackers appeared to be stumbling around, seemingly re-enacting the moment Lambert fell to the ground during the attack.
Officials said one of the suspects also appeared to have filmed the incident on his phone, but police have yet to find video of the attack on social media.
Police did not specify what charges the teenagers would face and said the final decision would rest with the district attorney’s office.
After the first cone attack, a girl picks up the makeshift weapon and lunges at Lambert, who is lying on the ground
The cone hits the elderly man who tries to flee the scene
As he walks away, the teenagers chase after him, cone in hand
Police believe the teenagers recorded the attack on one of their mobile phones
The City of Brotherly Love has seen a dramatic rise in violence, with overall crime up more than 25 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2021.
While murders and rapes have seen significant declines this year, the number of assaults is down just 1.47 percent, from 2,522 incidents last year to 2,485 so far this year.
Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims rose 5.51 percent, with police reporting 1,168 cases so far this year, up from 1,107 last year.
Robberies saw the biggest increase, with 1,427 cases reported this year, up 21.55 percent from the 1,174 reported last year.
Lambert’s death came just four days before Anthony Nelson, 47, of Philadelphia, shot and killed Jaylene Holton, 21, at a Philly bar and restaurant on June 28.
Nelson is accused of opening fire after being kicked out of the hall when he was told he would not be able to use a pool table because league was being played.
After getting into a scuffle with a thug, the group of three men were forced to leave, after which one of them went to retrieve a gun from their car.
More than a dozen shots were fired into the front of the bar from a distance of less than 200 feet, Philadelphia Police Inspector Scott Small told reporters.
As a flurry of bullets flew, Holton, who was standing in the back of the bar, was struck in the head, where she fell to the ground. She died later at Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital.
Nelson was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City on Wednesday.
Anthony Nelson, 47, was arrested at Harrah’s Casino, Atlantic City in connection with the death of Jaylene Holton, 21, of Philadelphia.
Jaylene Holton, 21, of Philadelphia, was shot while standing in the back of the Philly Bar and Grill on June 28. She was out for a night on the town with her friends. Her family said she rarely went out and that she was the group’s designated driver
Philadelphia police are also currently investigating a shooting that erupted during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks festival that struck and injured two officers working the event.
Fortunately, the officers, Sergio Diggs, 36, and Deputy John Foster, 44, who were shot Monday night, were transported to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition and released early Tuesday morning.
They suffered minor injuries from the shooting, with Foster, assigned to the Montgomery County Bomb Squad, shot in the shoulder and Diggs, a highway patrol officer, suffering from a laceration to the head.
Police are still unsure whether the shooting was a deliberate attack on city officials or the result of celebratory bullets that ricocheted and hit the men accidentally.
As with the Lambert attack, Philadelphia police are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.
Philadelphia police are also currently investigating a shooting that erupted during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks festival that sent hundreds running for their lives
The streets below were filled with people running as fast as they could as two police officers were injured in the shooting, which is still under investigation
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