GRANTS PASS, Ore. —
UPDATE: Three boys have been arrested for their role in the alleged assault on a 53-year-old transient man in Riverside Park on December 27, according to the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety (GPDPS).
Over the week following the assault, GPDPS said that they worked with a school resource officer and detectives to track down suspects. The investigation led them to identify, locate and arrest three 14-year-old boys for the attack.
"It was learned the juvenile suspects used a glass bottle and a children’s scooter during the assault to inflict injury upon the victim," GPDPS said in a statement.
All three boys were lodged in the Josephine County Juvenile Justice Center with identical charges of Assault 2. Two of the suspects were also charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
(Updated 1/10/19 at 11 .m.)
INITIAL REPORT: Police in Grants Pass are looking for tips after a group of juvenile males reportedly attacked and injured a transient man on Thursday evening, according to a statement from the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety (GPDPS).
A call came in just after 8:30 p.m., claiming that there was a "physical disturbance involving seven subjects on foot" at Riverside Park. When officers arrived, they found that the suspects had fled on foot toward SE 7th Street and could not be found.
The officers found 53-year-old transient Jerry August in Riverside Park, suffering from multiple injuries. August was brought to Three Rivers Medical Center where medical staff found that he had sustained "non-life threatening injuries" — including a fractured left Humerus bone and a laceration to his forehead.
GPDPS is still looking for 5-8 juvenile males reportedly involved in the attack.
Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact GPDPS at (541) 450-6260.
