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11 high school lacrosse players suspected of hazing turn themselves in, avoiding kidnapping charges

11 high school lacrosse players suspected of hazing turn themselves in, avoiding kidnapping charges
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11 high school lacrosse players suspected of hazing turn themselves in, avoiding kidnapping charges
All 11 lacrosse players suspected of being involved in hazing a teammate at a high school in Syracuse, New York, have turned themselves in, Onondaga County First Chief Assistant District Attorney Joseph Coolican said Wednesday.The non-juvenile students will be arraigned, while the juveniles will go 鈥渟traight to family court,鈥� Coolican said. They face misdemeanor charges of unlawful imprisonment, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.The Westhill High School student athletes 鈥� who are not being identified due to their age 鈥� are accused of victimizing five younger players in an incident that goes 鈥渨ay beyond hazing,鈥� Fitzpatrick said Tuesday.Fitzpatrick made a one-time, public offer to the suspects on Tuesday: Turn yourself in to the sheriff鈥檚 department within 48 hours, and you can face a less serious misdemeanor charge of unlawful imprisonment. The suspects surrendered on Tuesday and Wednesday, within a day of the district attorney鈥檚 hard deadline, Fitzpatrick said.Most of the suspects are minors, but at least one is over the age of 18, according to Coolican.Here鈥檚 what we know about the case that has stunned the community:What happened?Some of the suspects tricked the younger players into believing they were going to McDonald鈥檚 after a lacrosse game last Thursday, Fitzpatrick said.The driver of the vehicle then claimed he was lost in a remote part of the county. There, 鈥渁ccomplices jumped out of the woods, pretending to be kidnappers,鈥� the district attorney said.The accomplices were dressed in black, wielding what appeared to be at least one handgun and at least one knife, the DA said.鈥淪ome of the (victims) were able to escape,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. But one of the students couldn鈥檛 flee.The group put a pillowcase over that student鈥檚 head, tied him up and threw him in the trunk of a car before ditching him in another wooded part of the county, Fitzpatrick said.The younger player was eventually returned home. But 鈥渢here was a period of time where he thought he was going to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere,鈥� the DA said.鈥淚鈥檝e seen the videotape of what happened to this young man,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淚t is not a rite of passage. It is not a trivial matter. I don鈥檛 know how long this young man will be affected by what happened to him.鈥漈he video also captured reactions from some of the suspects, Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淵ou can hear that some of the individuals found it amusing.鈥漌hy did the suspects avoid kidnapping charges?At the news briefing on Tuesday, before all suspects surrendered, the district attorney raised the prospect of the more serious charge of kidnapping.鈥淚f you don鈥檛 鈥� if you鈥檙e tougher than me, you鈥檙e a gambler and you鈥檙e going to play the odds, you don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e going to get caught 鈥� trust me, the men and women of the Onondaga County Sheriff鈥檚 Department are going to identify you,鈥� Fitzpatrick said.If the suspects chose not to turn themselves in, they would be arrested, prosecuted as adults, and charged with felony kidnapping, 鈥減erhaps in the second degree,鈥� Fitzpatrick warned on Tuesday.The suspects under 18 who turned themselves in will be sent to family court and will not be subject to penal law, Coolican said.鈥淚f they鈥檙e 18, they would be eligible for something called Youthful Offender status, which would seal the record in New York state,鈥� the assistant district attorney said earlier on Wednesday.鈥淚f they turn themselves in and (are) charged with the misdemeanor, they would not have any permanent record,鈥� Coolican added.As for the apparent gun used in the incident, Fitzpatrick did not say whether it was real or fake. But 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going to charge anybody with possession of a weapon,鈥� he said.What happens next?The rest of the varsity boys鈥� lacrosse season has been canceled, Westhill Central School District Superintendent Stephen Dunham said Tuesday.While most of the team was not involved in the incident or knew about the plans in advance, 鈥淲e must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset,鈥� the superintendent said.The school district has launched its own investigation, though it 鈥渃annot comment or share specific details about student discipline,鈥� Dunham said.But he noted Westhill Central School District鈥檚 policy 鈥渟trictly prohibits鈥� hazing 鈥渋n all forms.鈥濃淗azing is an indefensible act,鈥� the superintendent said. 鈥� It can be humiliating and degrading, potentially causing physical and emotional harm.鈥滲efore the students turned themselves in on Wednesday, Dunham told CNN the school district is fully cooperating with the district attorney鈥檚 investigation.鈥淎ny behavior that negatively affects the physical safety, mental health or well-being of other students will be addressed promptly and appropriately according to our Code of Conduct,鈥� Dunham said.鈥淲e do not shy away from difficult situations when they arise, nor do we avoid having to make difficult decisions,鈥� he said, adding the school district is 鈥渨orking through all of this in conjunction with law enforcement.鈥滳NN has reached out to Dunham and the Onondaga Sheriff鈥檚 Department for comment after the students surrendered.

All 11 lacrosse players suspected of being involved in hazing a teammate at a high school in Syracuse, New York, have turned themselves in, Onondaga County First Chief Assistant District Attorney Joseph Coolican said Wednesday.

The non-juvenile students will be arraigned, while the juveniles will go 鈥渟traight to family court,鈥� Coolican said. They face misdemeanor charges of unlawful imprisonment, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.

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The Westhill High School student athletes 鈥� who are not being identified due to their age 鈥� are accused of victimizing five younger players in an incident that goes 鈥渨ay beyond hazing,鈥� Fitzpatrick said Tuesday.

Fitzpatrick made a one-time, public offer to the suspects on Tuesday: Turn yourself in to the sheriff鈥檚 department within 48 hours, and you can face a less serious misdemeanor charge of unlawful imprisonment. The suspects surrendered on Tuesday and Wednesday, within a day of the district attorney鈥檚 hard deadline, Fitzpatrick said.

Most of the suspects are minors, but at least one is over the age of 18, according to Coolican.

Here鈥檚 what we know about the case that has stunned the community:

What happened?

Some of the suspects tricked the younger players into believing they were going to McDonald鈥檚 after a lacrosse game last Thursday, Fitzpatrick said.

The driver of the vehicle then claimed he was lost in a remote part of the county. There, 鈥渁ccomplices jumped out of the woods, pretending to be kidnappers,鈥� the district attorney said.

The accomplices were dressed in black, wielding what appeared to be at least one handgun and at least one knife, the DA said.

鈥淪ome of the (victims) were able to escape,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. But one of the students couldn鈥檛 flee.

The group put a pillowcase over that student鈥檚 head, tied him up and threw him in the trunk of a car before ditching him in another wooded part of the county, Fitzpatrick said.

The younger player was eventually returned home. But 鈥渢here was a period of time where he thought he was going to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere,鈥� the DA said.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen the videotape of what happened to this young man,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淚t is not a rite of passage. It is not a trivial matter. I don鈥檛 know how long this young man will be affected by what happened to him.鈥�

The video also captured reactions from some of the suspects, Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淵ou can hear that some of the individuals found it amusing.鈥�

Why did the suspects avoid kidnapping charges?

At the news briefing on Tuesday, before all suspects surrendered, the district attorney raised the prospect of the more serious charge of kidnapping.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 鈥� if you鈥檙e tougher than me, you鈥檙e a gambler and you鈥檙e going to play the odds, you don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e going to get caught 鈥� trust me, the men and women of the Onondaga County Sheriff鈥檚 Department are going to identify you,鈥� Fitzpatrick said.

If the suspects chose not to turn themselves in, they would be arrested, prosecuted as adults, and charged with felony kidnapping, 鈥減erhaps in the second degree,鈥� Fitzpatrick warned on Tuesday.

The suspects under 18 who turned themselves in will be sent to family court and will not be subject to penal law, Coolican said.

鈥淚f they鈥檙e 18, they would be eligible for something called , which would seal the record in New York state,鈥� the assistant district attorney said earlier on Wednesday.

鈥淚f they turn themselves in and (are) charged with the misdemeanor, they would not have any permanent record,鈥� Coolican added.

As for the apparent gun used in the incident, Fitzpatrick did not say whether it was real or fake. But 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going to charge anybody with possession of a weapon,鈥� he said.

What happens next?

The rest of the varsity boys鈥� lacrosse season has been canceled, Westhill Central School District Superintendent Stephen Dunham said Tuesday.

While most of the team was not involved in the incident or knew about the plans in advance, 鈥淲e must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset,鈥� the superintendent said.

The school district has launched its own investigation, though it 鈥渃annot comment or share specific details about student discipline,鈥� Dunham said.

But he noted Westhill Central School District鈥檚 policy 鈥渟trictly prohibits鈥� hazing 鈥渋n all forms.鈥�

鈥淗azing is an indefensible act,鈥� the superintendent said. 鈥� It can be humiliating and degrading, potentially causing physical and emotional harm.鈥�

Before the students turned themselves in on Wednesday, Dunham told CNN the school district is fully cooperating with the district attorney鈥檚 investigation.

鈥淎ny behavior that negatively affects the physical safety, mental health or well-being of other students will be addressed promptly and appropriately according to our Code of Conduct,鈥� Dunham said.

鈥淲e do not shy away from difficult situations when they arise, nor do we avoid having to make difficult decisions,鈥� he said, adding the school district is 鈥渨orking through all of this in conjunction with law enforcement.鈥�

CNN has reached out to Dunham and the Onondaga Sheriff鈥檚 Department for comment after the students surrendered.