ITHACA, N.Y. — Three juveniles and one adult are facing charges for allegedly committing gang assault, the Ithaca Police Department announced on Thursday.
Kaeden Denmark, 21, and three unnamed juveniles were arrested and charged with second-degree gang assault. They are accused of physically assaulting two individuals on the east end of the Ithaca Commons around 12:15 a.m. on Aug. 24, according to the police
Gang assault charges in New York mean an assault was committed by a group of at least three people, but does not necessarily indicate the involvement of a conventional organized or affiliated gang.
Two victims reported to police that they had been physically assaulted by four individuals who fled the scene. The victims’ injuries were described by police as “non-life threatening.”
The victim’s ethnicity was reportedly the subject of derogatory comments at the time of the attack. As a result, police initially investigated the incident as a hate crime. However, Sgt. Michael Meskill said in a press release that “no evidence was found to support” that claim.
Denmark was arraigned in Ithaca City Court and remanded to the Tompkins County Jail. The unnamed juveniles were referred to Tompkins County Family Court before being released to their parents.
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