Assault arrests of Glens Falls kids, parents shock community

People in Glens Falls say they’re shocked after 16 kids and five adults were arrested for random assaults, police said.

The arrests were made over the course of about two months, and are related to a series of violent incidents over the summer.

Many people heard about the assaults through hearsay, while others saw them firsthand, they said.

Police were getting calls from residents about kids between the age of 12-16 being unruly and scaring people, they said.

Names will not be released due to their ages. They face charges of assault and in some cases, gang assault. The five adults arrested were parents of the teens. Responsibility to control their kids falls on them, police said.

“The worst one was a couple kids that were in a fight with each other and then an adult from a community – in the area where they were in our downtown – tried to intervene and then ended up in an altercation with these kids,” Glens Falls Mayor Bill Collins said.

“Just be patient with us. We are working, obviously. We’ve made over 20 arrests involving these types of cases,” said Glens Falls Police Chief Jarred Smith. “I give the credit to my patrol officers and my detective division.” The cases are being handed over to family court.