Snowball fight led to assault of 10-year-old boy in Kensington, witnesses say
Police say the man fled the scene in a silver minivan on Dec. 17.
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Police are actively searching for a male suspect who assaulted a 10-year-old boy during an incident caught on camera in Kensington.
The confrontation happened around 4 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the corner of Ocean Parkway. According to police, video surveillance shows an unidentified adult man grabbing the child by his jacket collar and forcefully slamming his head against a parked vehicle windshield, causing the boy to fall to the ground.
Joe, a witness who was nearby at the time described the child as visibly shaken afterward.
“He just looked scared, like a scared little kid,” said Joe.
Witnesses say the incident began as a snowball fight between children in the area. One reported that a snowball struck a man’s car, prompting the adult to confront the group. What started as a minor incident quickly escalated.
After the encounter, the child approached passersby asking for help.
“He was saying that he’s a minor and someone assaulted him,” Joe said. “He was really scared.”
The boy was taken to Maimonides Medical Center with complaints of head and left-hand pain. Police say he is in stable condition.
Retired law enforcement officer Jermone Stradford, who previously handled child abuse cases, said incidents like this are especially troubling.
“Children say things that an adult might not like, but that never justifies harming them,” Stradford said.
Police say the suspect took off from the scene westbound on Ditmas Avenue toward Cortelyou Road in a silver minivan. Investigators are continuing to review video evidence as they work to identify the individual seen in the footage.
Police tell News 12 that anyone who recognizes the suspect or has information about the incident is urged to contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
