Latest news with #Ex-northwestern
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
New York high school lacrosse hazing 'could have been catastrophic': DA
Onondaga County, New York, District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick joined "Fox and Friends" on Thursday to discuss a hazing case by a Syracuse high school lacrosse team that has made national headlines. "If a sheriff's deputy or a state police officer had come upon the scene and saw four armed men all dressed in camouflage and dark clothing abducting a young man, it could have been catastrophic," Fitzpatrick told "Fox and Friends" host Lawrence Jones. Eleven Westhill High School lacrosse players turned themselves in to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday and will face misdemeanor unlawful imprisonment charges stemming from a heinous act of hazing that allegedly involved kidnapping a younger teammate at gunpoint, putting a pillowcase over his head, binding him up and stuffing him in the trunk of a vehicle. 11 High School Athletes Face Charges In Armed 'Hazing' After Prosecutor's Ultimatum "Weapons could have been drawn, and shots could have been administered to the kids," Fitzpatrick said. "It could have been an absolute disaster." He told "Fox and Friends" that after further investigation, the gun used in the incident appears to have had a bright red or orange tip, and was likely fake. Read On The Fox News App Four of the 11 suspects are 18 years old and will face their charges in local justice courts that handle minor criminal matters, while the others will be subject to proceedings in juvenile courts, according to Fitzpatrick. Ex-northwestern Players Settle Alleged Hazing Suit Lawsuit Against School, Former Coach Pat Fitzgerald: Report However, none will have criminal records after their cases are adjudicated, under a deal the district attorney offered during a stern press conference on Tuesday. If they turn themselves in, Fitzpatrick said during the press conference, they would face the misdemeanor charges. If not, they would all be tried as adults on felony kidnapping charges. "In any event, none of the 11 — if they jump through the hoops that the court mandates — will wind up with criminal records, which I think is fair, despite the idiocy of what they did," Fitzpatrick told Jones. Jones asked Fitzpatrick how the incident had come to his attention in the first place. "Some of these geniuses posted this on social media in some misguided effort to impress their friends, and we monitor that sort of thing," he said. "The sheriff's office became aware of that and then notified my office, and we started an investigation." Westhill Central School District Superintendent Stephen Dunham released a statement Wednesday. "This is an incredibly serious situation, and the District continues to cooperate fully with the District Attorney and the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide further comment at this time," Durham said. "What I can share, as Superintendent, is that any behavior that endangers the physical safety, mental health or well-being of our students will always be addressed promptly and in accordance with our Code of Conduct. We remain committed to addressing serious issues directly and thoughtfully, and we will make the decisions necessary to uphold the values of our school community."Original article source: New York high school lacrosse hazing 'could have been catastrophic': DA
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
11 high school athletes face charges in armed 'hazing' after prosecutor's ultimatum
After a grave warning from Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick, 11 high school lacrosse players in upstate New York have turned themselves in to police for their alleged participation in a cruel prank that went "way beyond hazing," Fox News has confirmed. The Westhill High School students will be charged with unlawful imprisonment stemming from an alleged kidnapping at gunpoint of at least one younger lacrosse player. Fitzpatrick addressed the media Tuesday regarding a situation involving the student athletes last week. Ex-northwestern Players Settle Alleged Hazing Suit Lawsuit Against School, Former Coach Pat Fitzgerald: Report "Thursday, April 24th of this year during the evening hours, some students from Westhill, who, obviously, because of their age I will not name, decided that they were going to haze or play some sort of prank on some of the younger members of the lacrosse team," Fitzpatrick said. "There were at least five potential victims that the sheriff's victim has identified." "One in particular was an individual who was taken to what he thought was to be an enjoyable evening with the upperclassmen and go to a lacrosse game and then finish the evening having something to eat at McDonalds," the district attorney said. Read On The Fox News App "He was taken to a remote area of the county, and at some point, by pre-arrangement, people came out of the woods all dressed in black. "They were armed with what appeared to be at least one handgun and at least one knife," according to Fitzpatrick. "A pillowcase was placed over his head, he was tied up, and placed in the trunk of a car." University Suspends Fraternity Accused Of 'Inhumane' Hazing That Left Pledge In Fear He told the perpetrators that they had 48 hours to turn themselves in and face the kidnapping charges, or face felony second-degree kidnapping charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. "This is a 48 hour offer," he said. "Get an attorney, contact the sheriff's department, arrange to surrender yourself. You'll be given an appearance ticket." "If you don't - if you're tougher than me and you're a gambler and you're going to play the odds and you don't think you're going to get caught, trust me - the men and women of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department are going to identify you, you'll be arrested, you'll be prosecuted as an adult and you'll be charged with the very, very serious felony of kidnapping in the second degree." Fitzpatrick added that he could not explain to the community the "lack of judgment and stupidity" involved in this case. "This goes way, way beyond hazing - you know, doing something stupid as a rite of passage," he said. He also said that in normal cases, parents of the victims would be allowed to decide if they wanted to press charges. Due to the gravity of this particular case, his office took it upon itself to proceed as they would with any other criminal matter. Lisa O'Reilly the President of the Board of Education of The Westhill Central School District released a statement Wednesday afternoon. "We are aware of the District Attorney's statement and are continuing to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation," she said. "At this time, the District has no additional information to share. While the investigation is ongoing, we remain committed to the values of student safety, dignity, and accountability. We remain in close contact with law enforcement and remain focused on supporting our students and ensuring the safety and well-being of our school community." Fox News' Sandy Ibrahim contributed to this article source: 11 high school athletes face charges in armed 'hazing' after prosecutor's ultimatum
