BALTIMORE (WBFF) — In just a matter of hours, Baltimore Police responded to two cases where juveniles were either the victim or perpetrator of crimes across the city.
“Dispatch: “Shot Spotter Alert. 2152 Vine Street. 2152 Vine Street. Four Rounds.”
Dispatch audio captured Baltimore Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert in a southwest Baltimore neighborhood Tuesday night.
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At the scene, investigators said responding officers found several shell casings, but no victim.
A short time later, a walk-in shooting victim arrived at an area hospital, investigators said.
Baltimore Police confirmed the victim was a 15-year-old boy who had suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
As of Wednesday, the Baltimore Police Department confirmed no arrests have been made in the case.
A believed motive also remains unclear.
That same night, Baltimore Police said two juveniles carjacked a 39-year-old man at gunpoint in a neighborhood on Murphy Lane in west Baltimore.
As of Wednesday, BPD confirmed no arrests have been made and the stolen vehicle has not yet been recovered.
The crimes come as Baltimore and the state continue to battle the juvenile crime crisis.
Just last week, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley, Mayor Brandon Scott, and City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates announced the takedown of a crime ring connected to a murder, carjackings, robberies and weapons violations.
“Particularly troubling is the age of those involved,” Worley said.
Then, authorities revealed the majority of the eight defendants are juveniles, including a 17-year-old who has been linked to 23 cases.
“We need to build a new system from the ground up and I’m looking forward and am hopeful we can work with our state partners to do just that,” Mayor Scott said during the announcement.
“I would invite members of the legislature please come to Baltimore and spend time with us in the juvenile system and once you spend time you’ll understand the brokenness in the system,” Bates said.
Bates specifically highlighted the concern multiple states attorneys across Maryland expressed with the state’s new automatic charging law.
“Had these same offenses occurred next year, many of these defendants would have automatically started in the juvenile system under Maryland’s new automatic charging law. The severity of these allegations demands a response that prioritizes accountability, public safety, and justice for victims,” Bates said.
Law enforcement expert Jason Johnson shared his concern.
“I think, despite its best intentions, DJS has shown just an inability to identify youthful offenders who are in the juvenile system, who are likely to re-offend, who have committed serious violent crimes, and restrict their ability to go out there and re- offend,” Johnson said.
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