A 14-year-old boy is charged with murder after he and a group of other youths allegedly beat a 73-year-old man to death in an attack using a traffic cone in North Philadelphia last month.
The teen and his 10-year-old brother surrendered to police Monday after surveillance video showing the attack led to a citywide search for the minors. The victim, James Lambert, died from his injuries the day after the attack, which happened just before 3 a.m. on June 24.
The 14-year-old is also charged with criminal conspiracy, Philadelphia Police Department spokesman, Officer Eric McLaurin, said Tuesday.
Philadelphia Police late last week released surveillance video that shows the attack and announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to arrests of the young people involved.
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"It's a very sad situation for all of the children, for the man's family and for everybody involved," the brothers’ attorney, Rania Major, said Monday. "These are children, let's let them have their peace."
Lambert was walking across Cecil B. Moore Avenue near North 21st Street around 2:38 a.m. when he was ambushed, Philadelphia police said.
Sources told NBC10 that Lambert was walking past some basketball court when he questioned why the young people were out so late. That's when Lambert was attacked with food, fists and the traffic cone.
"It's so evil, how could you do that to a person," Elsie Stephens, the victim's older sister told NBC10 soon after the video was released. "You have a mother and a father, how could you just beat a man until you take off half of his skull," she added.
Last week, the PPD released video on YouTube that shows the deadly attack on the 73-year-old. They said those responsible appeared to be three girls and four boys believed to be in their early-to-mid teens.
The first young person to attack Lambert can be seen on video striking the man -- who is blurred in the video -- with a traffic cone as he walked away from the group to the other side of the street. A short time later, another young person can be seen picking up a cone and throwing it at the man.
Lambert then moves along the sidewalk and is chased down by a young person holding a cone over her head.
"The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head," police said in an online post. "The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day."
The video shows the young people leaving the site of the attack. One even hopped on a scooter and appeared to be talking with another young person walking alongside him in the moments after the attack. A young person is also seen running down the sidewalk.
Later, the young people appear to have gathered again. One teen is then seen acting out what appears to be a stumbling person.
"Even I can't comprehend that teenagers would beat an old person in the street for no apparent reason," said Tania Stephens, Lambert's niece.
The city offered a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this homicide, as they do with any unsolved killing in Philadelphia.
Lambert’s family has urged those responsible to turn themselves in to police.
Police urged anyone who spots the teens to call 911 immediately. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to submit tips (which be anonymous) by phone or text to 215-686-(8477) or online.
Lambert's family told NBC10's Danny Freeman that he went by "Simmie" and they have been left heartbroken by his death.
As of Wednesday, there have been 289 homicides in Philadelphia in 2022, according to police data. That's down just 2% from the same time last year, which ended up being the deadliest year on record.
