Urban Ventures: We're Taking Teen Assault Case 'Very Seriously'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Urban Ventures says they're taking the incident involving a number of teenagers allegedly assaulting people in Kansas "very seriously."
Over the weekend, police said seven kids ranging in age from 12 to 18 yelled and threw things at people in Wichita, including a number of homeless people.
Police said those arrested were members of the Urban Stars program, which aims to break generational poverty. It happened while they were on the road for a basketball tournament.
"All of us at Urban Ventures are dismayed at the behavior of seven Urban Stars basketball players Sunday night," Urban Ventures CEO Timothy Clark said in a statement released Tuesday. "This is an unprecedented incident for our program and we take the infractions of these players very seriously."
The charges the kids were arrested on included simple batter, aggravated assault, destruction of property, and obstruction.
Police said the group attacked a man at his house.
"These individuals began to yell at him, make threats to him, a woman and a 29-year-old male," Wichita Police Lt. James Espinoza said. "These teens began to throw rocks, bottles, bricks and other chunks of concrete. When one of the victims attempted to run, he was tackled, tripped and beaten by the suspects. They kicked him with body weapons."
Police say that wasn't the only incident. Another man reported to police he was riding his bike on Main Street when a group of teens pushed him off his bike and threw rocks at him.
Urban Ventures' Clark said that he believes the kids skipped out on their chaperone while she was doing laundry.
All seven have since been released to their parents.
"We believe that participants, staff and volunteers need to be held accountable for their actions and the youth will go through our disciplinary process," Clark said. "We're proud of the Urban Stars program, which has served more than 10,000 youth in the greater Minneapolis area since 1993. Each year more than 80 volunteer coaches and staff mentor more than 800 participants on 25 basketball and soccer teams, fostering relationships, building character and providing children with a safe place to learn and grow."
