The Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) said it is increasingly worried about “violent attacks on children who are walking to and from school or in some cases near their own homes,” KTLA75 reported Wednesday.
“They’re not going to fight back,” Sgt. Rudy Perez said. “We’re just seeing a wave of high violence crimes affecting our student body.”
Perez noted that young children are “easy targets” and are “becoming victims of violent crime at an alarming rate,” according to the report.
According to the outlet, a sophomore at Hamilton High School on L.A.’s westside was “shot by someone who drove up and opened fire.” the teen is currently in stable condition at a hospital, police confirmed.
Another incident occurred on Feb. 2, when two sisters had their phones and jewelry stolen while walking along Melrose Avenue.
Perez told the outlet he is investigating the sisters’ assault and said there are several other similar incidents that have happened in which students were targeted. He asserted that the best way to end the attacks is a “community approach.”
“As parents, as a school community, we have to create a culture of safety and we have to begin to be part of these answers,” he said. “We cannot allow our students to be victimized.”
Investigators reportedly think adults are using juvenile offenders to commit crime because they would most likely face lighter sentencing if arrested. Perez added that bystanders often do not intervene and “silence is not part of the community solution.”
“We have to have the ability as bystanders to intervene or get help when we need it,” he said.
Perez said these incidents are happening elsewhere besides Los Angeles, and that children should travel together and in well-lit areas.