A teenager arrested in the beating of a Dundalk man last month is being charged as an adult for attempted murder.
Baltimore County's grand jury indicted Antoine Willie Lawson, 17, on Monday on charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, robbery and theft of less than $1,000 in connection with the April 22 assault of a 61-year-old man, according to online court records.
According to police, the victim, who lives on 45th Street, saw girls fighting on his truck. When he tried to break up the fight, a group of teens turned on him and beat him up.
The man was hospitalized and the incident has galvanized residents, who say they are frustrated by a history of bad behavior among teens who attend the nearby Baltimore Community High School.
County police had initially charged Lawson with first-degree assault and second-degree assault.
Baltimore County Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Fuller, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment beyond saying the grand jury found probable cause to indict Lawson on the additional charges.
A call to the Office of the Public Defender, which is representing Lawson, was not immediately returned. Lawson, who lives in the city's Mid-Govans neighborhood, is being held at the county's detention center in Towson.
Police also have arrested a teenage girl for assault in the case. Her name has not been disclosed because she is charged as a juvenile.
Cpl. John Wachter, a county police spokesman, said the incident remains under investigation and more arrests are expected.
"We have more people that we're looking for, but we haven't found them yet," he said.
Neighbors said during a community meeting last week that students walk through the neighborhood after school to reach MTA bus stops and along the way, have thrown trash in yards, taunted pets and blocked traffic by noisily walking in groups.
The school's principal acknowledged during the community meeting that her students were involved in the April 22 assault. The school is an alternative high school for Baltimore City students. It's slated to close in 2017, but the closure must be approved by the city's school board, school officials have said.
An online fundraising campaign sponsored by the Harbor View Neighborhood Association has raised more than $7,000 for the victim's medical expenses.
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