Boston police report detaining four suburban youths, including two pre-teens from Arlington, on charges that they and some older minors went on a beating rampage in Downtown Crossing on Sunday night, Feb. 19.

Universal Hub, citing a police report, said that officers responded to a report of "a group of juveniles causing a disturbance and throwing bottles at people" at Washington and Franklin streets shortly before 7:50 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers observed a group of juveniles fleeing from the scene heading down Franklin Street toward Hawley Street, where they were stopped. All the juveniles were uncooperative with officers, police said.

An Arlington 12-year-old, a Framingham 16-year-old and a Cambridge 14-year-old were charged with being delinquent by means of assault with a dangerous weapon -- shod foot -- and affray, defined by one online dictionary as "the fighting of two or more persons, in some public place, to the terror of the people."

An 11-year-old from Arlington, too young to be charged, was released to a parent, police say.

When police arrived, five adult victims were still in the vicinity of Washington and Franklin. Three had sustained non-life-threatening injuries; one was kicked and punched while on the ground, a second was punched in the back of the head and a third was punched in the jaw.

Before the attacks, the group of juveniles had been removed from the nearby TJ Maxx after causing a disturbance inside of the store, police said.

Police added that several other suspects, all between 15 and 17, are to receive summonses to Boston Juvenile Court.

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This news summary was published Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, based on information from online Boston-based website Universal Hub.