Because of the seriousness and importance of this I'm going to provide liberally from the Syracuse.com stories. These are the facts they're reporting:
On Thursday night, the members of the lacrosse team decided to haze or play a prank on younger members of the team, the DA said at a news conference Tuesday. There is a video of the incident, he said.
The older students told five younger players they were going to get food together after going to watch a lacrosse game together Thursday, the DA said. That night, the kids were taken to a “remote location” in the southern part of the county, Fitzpatrick said.
“This is not hazing,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is criminal activity. This is hazing on steroids.”
The players, dressed in black, jumped out of the woods with what looked like a gun or a knife, he said. A pillow case was put over the head of one player and he was thrown in the trunk of a vehicle, he said.
The players attempted to grab five students, but four of them got away, the DA said.
The players involved have 48 hours to turn themselves in, he said.
No arrests have been made yet.
Fitzpatrick said the people who turn themselves in will be issued an appearance ticket for unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor.
Those who do not turn themselves in could face a second-degree kidnapping charge, he said.
The DA said at least 11 players were involved in the hazing incident, maybe more.
www.syracuse.com
