10 Year Old Beats Elderly Immigrant

A 10-year-old boy has been harassing a 51-year-old immigrant from Vietnam, who was living alone in a small room in Juniata Park in Philadelphia. Landlords claimed the boy would harass her by calling her “dumb and fat.” On Monday, the boy broke into her home and beat her with sticks, stones, and a jump rope. The 10-year-old, whose name is being withheld by police because he is a minor, had two accomplices believed to be age 7 and 9. The 10-year-old lives up the block from victim Minh Tran and routinely harassed and threatened her. The boys broke in to Tran’s home at 5:50 P.M. on Monday and began whipping her with the rope and hitting her with rocks and sticks. One boy took a potted plant and threw it at her. They also went through her belongings and stole $20 from her purse. Tran, who suffered head and chest pain and does not speak English, was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment. In addition to aggravated assault and criminal trespass, the boy was charged with simple assault, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime, theft, recklessly endangering another person, robbery, and burglary.