UPDATE: Girl, 15, to be charged for Temple brick-throwing incident, police say

Surveillance video. Credit: PPD

Police have in custody five female teenagers who reportedly identified themselves as a “flash mob” to a witness before going on to attack three female Temple students, detectives announced this afternoon.

The 15-year-old girl who allegedly hit a the 19-year-old female victim on Friday around 6 p.m. near 17th and West Norris streets is expected to be charged with aggravated assault tonight, said Central Detectives Capt. Frank Banford.

The same group of teenagers is believed to be responsible for two other assaults — one alleged attack on another female Temple student at 17th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, who was punched in the face, which was previously reported, and a new, previously unreported attack on a third female Temple student, at 17th and Willington streets, who was also punched in the face.

Banford also said detectives found a witness who saw the girls running down Willington Street, and who yelled to the witness, “You wanna get in on the flash mob?” as they passed, according to Banford, just prior to the brick attack incident.

Banford said that out of the five teens in custody, four will likely be charged in the assaults, and one will only be considered a witness. Two more teenage girls that were part of the group are still being sought by police.

After the three attacks the females boarded a southbound Route 2 bus.

The third, previously unreported attack, involved a female student being punched in the face. She went to the hospital and did not report the incident to police until after the other incidents, Banford said.

Some of the suspects turned themselves in after surveillance videoof the group of teenage girls was released to news media, Banford said.

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