Teen indicted in 'racially motivated' drowning attempt

A 14-year-old boy is facing charges including attempted murder after police in Massachusetts say he tried to drown a Black teen in a "racially motivated" attack.

The attack took place July 19 at the typically peaceful and scenic Goose Pond in Chatham when the defendant allegedly called the other boy racial slurs, threw stones at him and tried to drown him, the Chatham Police Department reported.

Chatham is a seaside town at the southeast tip of Cape Cod.

Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois said a Barnstable County grand jury indicted the defendant, a town local, on the felony charge on Aug. 31. The teen, charged as a youthful offender, was also indicted on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Under Massachusetts state law, prosecutors can seek an adult sentence if an indicted youthful offender is convicted of the crime.

Galibrois called the incident a “racially motivated” attack, the Cape Cod Times, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. According to the documents obtained by the Times, on the day it took place, two white juveniles called the victim "George Floyd," referring to the Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody in 2020.

The name of the defendant was released in court records, but the USA TODAY Network is not naming the boy because he is a minor.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/11/white-teen-indicted-attempted-murder-massachusetts-racially-motivated/70821226007/

Defense attorney calls it "horseplay that obviously was taken to the next level." Um, no, dude. Just no. Don't even try to go there.