Alleged teen gang member accused of beating up 13-year-old girl at school

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A 13-year-old boy with gang ties was arrested after he viciously beat up a 13-year-old girl at school, police said.

Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes was in South Fulton County, where the boy was arrested on aggravated assault and battery charges among others after the attack last December.

Police told Fernandes the girl reported the attack to an administrator after the boy punched, kicked and stomped her in the face repeatedly at Woodland Middle School.

Administrators reviewed surveillance video and were able to verify the attack.

Police say the boy wore a bandana and participated in gang-related handshakes with other students.

Fernandes requested the video of the attack, but police said they are not ready to release it. It's unclear if the girl was hospitalized in the attack. Neither of the teen's names were released because they are minors.

Fernandes sat down with a sergeant with a South Fulton County gang unit, who said they've arrested several teens in the last 30 days for gang activity.

The officer, who did not want to be identified because he works undercover, said the metro Atlanta gang problem is getting worse -- and members are getting younger.

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Over the last 30 days, South Fulton County police have arrested more than a dozen teens who they say are committing all sorts of crimes.

The gang investigator said gang members aren't the uneducated criminals they used to be. They now have college degrees, they are savvy on computers and they're getting younger and younger.

"They're going to take that to the lunch cafeteria, to after-school programs," the officer said. "And this is where they are doing a lot of their recruiting."

There are now more than 71,000 known gang members in Georgia and they cause plenty of trouble. State leaders say gang members commit at least 50% of violent crime.

The gang investigator said his unit is actively trying to fight the growing problem and that they aren't going to sit back and play defense.

"(We) go towards it and deal with it that way," he said.

Cox Media Group