An ordinary evening of eating a meal on the porch of their off-campus house on the 300 block of W Jackson Street in York, Pennsylvania, took a terrifying turn for a group of female students on Saturday, September 12.
The women allege that a mob of at least 30 street racers attacked them after they merely asked them to keep the gathering calm.
Highlights
- Female students claim a street-racing crowd attacked them at their off-campus home last weekend.
- One victim said she was kicked by around 12 people and lost consciousness twice during the violence.
- York City Police and York College responded to criticism over the delayed response and claims that officials were intimidated by the attackers.
One of those involved recalled the ordeal being so intense that she “blacked out twice.”
Police were called several times to the location before the situation spiraled out of control, leading a victim’s father to later call their delayed response “completely ridiculous.”
Female students were beaten and filmed as a street racing crowd turned violent
The incident unfolded at around 2 a.m. last weekend, according to Fox 43.
An anonymous student told the outlet that she and her friends were inside making tacos when they noticed a commotion developing on their street.
Not wanting to wait for the situation to escalate, they called 911.
After explaining that the people outside their property made them feel unsafe, the student said officers assured her they were on their way.
Believing help was coming, she and her friends decided to eat their tacos on the porch.
However, she said the gathering outside had only become rowdier by then.
This led another student to contact police, and she was similarly told that officers would arrive soon.
While waiting for help, the women remained outdoors and witnessed one of the street-racing cars crash into a parked vehicle.
“When this happened, we all asked them to move off the property, and that’s when everything erupted,” she recalled.
The woman said she was soon ambushed by “probably 25 people” and dragged toward a stop sign.
“That was when everyone jumped me,” she shared. “I was getting kicked by probably 12 people at the same time.”
Wearing a tube top also left her at a disadvantage, as she had to use one arm to hold her clothing in place while being attacked.
“What also makes matters worse is there were so many cameras on me, which made me very vulnerable,” she added.
Several victims said they lost consciousness during the violence
The student speaking with Fox 43 claimed she was punched and kicked from every angle as she lay on the ground.
The altercation was so intense that she said it caused her to black out twice.
“The first time was when I got kicked very hard in my ribs and the second time from a blow to the back of my head.”
Another student recalled similar details from the night, saying both she and her friends were dragged by their hair before being beaten.
The victim said things became “blurry” after she was punched the first time, but she could still recall people coming at her from all directions.
According to her, 911 was called five times before officers arrived.
Victims accused police and college officials of being intimidated by the crowd
Street-racing gatherings reportedly take place regularly near the property.
A woman said a similar act of violence erupted two weeks earlier and targeted another student.
“She told people to get off her porch. Someone ran at her and pulled out her hair,” she said.
“This shows it’s the same group of people who are non-students, and the cops haven’t done anything to protect us and campus safety hasn’t done anything either.”
The woman said she plans to speak with campus safety about the latest incident because she fears something similar could happen again if the college or police do not act.
“It feels like they’re scared to get involved with these people, but then it puts us at risk when they’re doing nothing.”
Both York City Police and York College addressed the violence after being criticized for their lack of action
An unnamed victim’s father reprimanded police over their delayed response.
“It’s not just the girls who were a**aulted; it is everybody on Jackson Street. We’re not talking about five girls and possibly their roommates; we’re talking about hundreds of students, so their response is completely ridiculous,” he said.
York Police defended their response, saying that when they received the call about the incident, their “officers were fully engaged in a previous, ongoing critical incident investigation.”
When officers ultimately arrived at the scene, the violence had wound down, and the perpetrators had fled.
As a result, no arrests could be made.
A spokesperson for York City Police later said an investigation into the incident had been launched and asked anyone with information to submit a tip through their official website.
It was revealed earlier today, though, that three juvenile girls had been charged in connection with the case.
York College, meanwhile, said, “Student safety is always the highest priority” and that its leadership “has been and continues to be in active discussion with York City leadership and local law enforcement regarding community safety in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus.”
The college added that it is actively offering support to affected students, including giving anyone living on West Jackson Street the option to relocate to campus.
"They should all get serious jail times," a netizen said about the perpetrators
