Posted on 10/14/24
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 14, 2024 - In Baltimore, crimes of violence are often caught on camera.
"We are now living in a society where the lives of others are not particularly valued and you combine that with young people who think only they matter," Betsy Smith of the National Police Association said.
Just last month, video caught the moment two teenagers assaulted and robbed a 66-year-old man near Patterson Park.
The suspects kicked him to the ground and left him unconscious in the middle of the street.
"I actually didn’t hear anything. They were very, very quiet. Almost like they snuck up on me. But I could feel their presence," the victim said.
Smith said criminals don't care anymore if they're caught on camera because there's no accountability.
"This is really an unfortunate trend that has continued into 2024 and I think we need to understand as a society what we're seeing is a result of not punishing, not prosecuting criminals to the fullest extent of the law," she said.
Smith said even criminals once had a code of conduct where women, children, and the elderly were off limits, but not anymore.
"They don't care that it's wrong to harass a young mother with a baby in a stroller," she said.
Lydia Green said she was out for a walk with her 11-month-old daughter when a pair of juveniles took aim at Lydia’s baby.
“They were threatening and harassing her and said you know, you’re lucky we don’t snap your baby’s neck and a bunch of other things," she said.
She ran inside a restaurant hoping to get help, but the young people followed her.
"I think these many brazen crimes you are seeing in the greater Baltimore area and throughout the United States is because we are no longer punishing abhorrent behavior in the manner that our criminal justice system allows so criminals just don't really care," Smith said.