Teen girls arrested after beating women unconscious in Rotterdam metro
Two teenage girls, aged 12 and 14, have been arrested in connection with a violent assault on two women in a Rotterdam metro last month, police confirmed. The victims were both beaten unconscious during the attack.
Authorities identified the suspects after their parents recognized them in footage broadcast by Bureau Rijnmond, a regional crime investigation program. Additional reports from viewers also helped police confirm their identities.
The assault occurred on January 21 at around 10:50 p.m. on a metro traveling from Oosterflank to Kralingse Zoom. According to police, the victims—one of whom is 57 years old—were harassed by a group, including the two suspects, while riding the metro.
When one of the victims attempted to contact the police and take photos of the situation, one of the girls reportedly knocked the phone from her hands. The attack escalated when the same suspect began kicking and punching the woman until she lost consciousness.
As the second woman tried to intervene, she too was assaulted and rendered unconscious. In addition to the physical violence, the suspects also damaged personal belongings of the victims, police said.
Following the broadcast of the surveillance footage, the two suspects voluntarily turned themselves in to police on February 24 and 25. They were taken into custody and questioned.
The 12-year-old suspect has been released but is required to comply with a court-ordered curfew while the investigation continues. The 14-year-old remains in custody. Police have not provided updates on the current condition of the victims.
