I’ve mostly given up on writing about the crime situation in Philadelphia, but these two stories caught my eye out of the daily carnage in the city. The first involves someone from the church where I used to attend and who was killed near a high school. The second involves young children who are terrorizing students at the University of Pennsylvania. 

“A 69-year-old Chinese immigrant who was attacked and beaten a week ago by a gang of male teens while he was taking an evening walk died yesterday when life support was removed. Police said the teens had grabbed Kwok Ho, put him in a chokehold, and threw him to the sidewalk, smashing his head in the July 10 assault. He had been walking alone around 7:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Greeby Street in Oxford Circle. 

He was admitted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital with serious head injuries from which he did not recover, and his ventilator was removed around 5:50 p.m. yesterday. ‘It was not a robbery attempt and was not provoked,’ Sgt. Bob Ruhlmeier said of the attack. “We’re investigating whether it was just done for fun.” Police have not made any arrests and the investigation is continuing.” 

“Pedestrians in [the region of UPenn] are being extra vigilant of late due to a string of assaults and robberies by roving groups of juvenile boys. Some students said they feel vulnerable walking in the area where people on foot have been attacked… No specific group is believed responsible for the crimes, which have been committed by random groups of two to eight boys roughly between the ages of 9 to 13, said Karima Zedan, a spokeswoman for Penn’s division of public safety. 

Pat Kozak, an administrative coordinator in the political science office, said a graduate student she knows was attacked by one of the groups earlier in the summer. ‘It was Mother’s Day, and she was talking on her cell phone to her mother. These kids came up and punched her in the face, fracturing her jaw. I think they took her phone,’ Kozak said. 

Since July 3, two robberies, one theft, two assaults, and one indecent assault have been reported in the area between 30th and 43d Streets and Market Street and Baltimore Avenue. No weapons were used. On July 7, two boys, ages 13 and 16, were arrested in connection with a robbery at 42d and Locust Streets. 

The bands of adolescents have struck mostly between 4:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. in the 3700 block of Locust Walk and the 4000 and 4200 blocks of Locust Street, according to a campus security alert. University officials said the victims were students, residents, faculty and staff members…”