The girls — two 13-year-olds and a 14-year-old — were allegedly assaulted and robbed by complete strangers between May 7 and June 14 in the city’s north, center and south, police said. press release on Saturday. Major Crime Unit investigators believe the attacks were unprovoked. The first robbery took place at Sargent Avenue and Balmoral Street at around 9pm on May 7. Police said a woman in her 20s got off a bus there at the same time as three unidentified women. They attacked and robbed her while they were waiting for another bus and fled, police said. All three girls were arrested at a city residence on Thursday and released on bond to appear in court under the Criminal Code order, police said. One of the 13-year-olds faces five counts of robbery, while the other two teenagers face three each. All three are charged with assault. Two also face charges of fraudulent use of a credit card. Investigators say they expect to make more arrests. The accusations against the girls come as newly released police statistics recorded a drop in youth crime in the city. Overall, the trend in youth crime has fallen over the past five years, from 2,312 incidents in 2016 to 1,101 in 2021, police revealed in their latest statistical report earlier this week.
