11 Cook County juveniles charged after adult victims lured, assaulted: police

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. - Nearly a dozen juveniles have been charged in connection with two separate incidents of aggravated battery and mob action that occurred earlier this year.

The charges stem from attacks on two adult men who were lured to locations in Mount Prospect through an online dating app.

The incidents took place on July 8 in the 900 block of West Lincoln Street and at 606 West Northwest Highway. The victims, a 41-year-old and 23-year-old, were confronted and battered by groups of teenage males. One of the victims was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

In both cases, the victims' vehicles were also damaged – which included the slashing of one of the victim's tires.

Of the eleven juveniles charged, ten are from Mount Prospect and one is from Arlington Heights. Their ages range from 16 to 17 years old. The charges include multiple felony counts of aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, and mob action.

One juvenile faces additional charges of hate crime for allegedly using racial and derogatory terms during one of the incidents.

Mount Prospect Police Chief Michael Eterno said the teenagers were inspired by a viral social media trend.

"We are asking parents to take these incidents as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media," Eterno said.

The juveniles were identified in part thanks to surveillance footage.

In November, all eleven juveniles turned themselves in and were then transported to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago.

Statement from High School District 214

"District 214 has been made aware of an off-campus incident that occurred over the summer and led to community charges that were recently announced. Due to privacy laws and the ongoing nature of this situation, we are limited in the information we can share. We will not be releasing additional information at this time and refer you to the Mount Prospect Police Department."