The gruesome scene, captured on surveillance cameras, opens with seven teenagers chasing James Lambert Jr. on June 24 in the middle of Cecil B. Moore Boulevard, one of them swinging a cone at the back of his head. The 73-year-old falls to the pavement and as the teenagers surround him, a girl picks up the cone again and hurls it at him. Lambert is seen getting up and trying to escape as the teenagers chase him off-camera, with the girl grabbing the cone again and appearing to hit him with it before they disappear from the screen. Police said Lambert suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The video captures the moment the seven teenagers chase James Lambert Jr., 73, of Philadelphia. One of the teenagers has a traffic cone in his hand as he approaches the old man The teenager hit Lambert in the back of the head, causing both the 73-year-old man and the cone to fall to the side during the brutal June 24 attack. As Lambert runs away from the camera, a girl takes a photo of the cone and appears to knock it over his head as the teenagers chase after the desperate man Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information about the seven teenagers Police said Lambert (pictured) suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Lambert’s family told NBC10 they are heartbroken by his death and in complete disbelief that a group of kids is allegedly behind it. None of the seven children seen in the video chasing Lambert have yet been arrested, but police said they hoped the newly released video and a $20,000 reward would help in the investigation into the incident. Along with video of the incident, police also shared additional footage of the young suspects, four boys and three girls, believed to be between 13 and 17 years old. One of the male suspects had a noticeable blonde patch in his hair, while another rode his scooter throughout the incident. Another of the alleged attackers was seen stumbling, appearing to recreate the moment Lambert fell to the ground during the attack.
Officials said one of the suspects also appeared to be videotaping the incident on their phone, but police have yet to find any video of the attack on social media. Police did not specify what charges the teenagers would face and said the final decision would be made by the district attorney’s office.
After the first attack with the traffic cone, a girl takes the makeshift gun and hurls Lambert, who was lying on the ground The cone hits the old man, who tries to flee the scene As he walks away, the teenagers chase after him, cone in hand Police believe the teenagers recorded the attack on one of their mobile phones The City of Brotherly Love has seen a drastic increase in violence, with overall crime up more than 25 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2021. While homicides and rapes have seen a significant decline this year, the number of assaults has only dropped by 1.47%, from 2,522 incidents last year to 2,485 so far this year. Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims has increased by 5.51 percent, with police reporting 1,168 cases so far this year, up from 1,107 last year. Robberies have seen the biggest rise, with 1,427 cases reported this year, a 21.55 percent increase from the 1,174 reported last year.
Lambert’s death came just four days before Anthony Nelson, 47, of Philadelphia, allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Jaelyn Holton at the Philly Bar and Restaurant on June 28. Nelson is accused of opening fire after being kicked off the court when he was told he couldn’t use a pool cue because he was playing a championship game. After fighting with a bouncer, the group of three men were forced to leave and then one member went to get a gun from their car. More than a dozen shots were fired at the front of the bar from less than 200 feet away, Philadelphia Police Superintendent Scott Small told reporters. As he fired a barrage of bullets, Holton, who was standing at the back of the bar, was struck in the head and fell to the ground. He later died at Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital. Nelson was arrested by the US Military Violent Crimes Task Force at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City on Wednesday. Anthony Nelson, 47, was arrested at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City in connection with the shooting death of Jailene Holton, 21, of Philadelphia. Jailene Holton, 21, of Philadelphia, was shot while standing in the back of the Philly Bar and Grill on June 28. She was out for a night on the town with her friends. Her family said she rarely went out and was the group’s designated driver Philadelphia police are also investigating a shooting that erupted during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks festival that struck and injured two officers working the event. Fortunately, the officers, Sergio Diggs, 36, and Deputy John Foster, 44, who were shot Monday night, were taken to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition and released early Tuesday morning. They suffered minor injuries in the shooting, with Foster, assigned to the Montgomery County Bomb Squad, shot in the shoulder and Diggs, a highway patrol officer, suffering from a head injury. Police still aren’t sure if the shootings were a deliberate attack on city officers or if they were the result of celebratory bullets that accidentally fell and hit the men.
As with the Lambert attack, Philadelphia police are offering a $20.00 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect. Philadelphia police are also investigating a shooting during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks festival that sent hundreds running for their lives
The streets below were filled with people running as fast as they could as two police officers were injured in the shooting, which is still under investigation.