WBAL TV

New plans are set to combat the recent rash of unprovoked assaults in downtown Baltimore, including a reward system in the works to hopefully get information from teens.

The latest incident happened early Sunday morning in Federal Hill. Like other incidents, victim Song Lee, 27, said it happened for no apparent reason.

Lee said he was beaten by four or five young men in their late teens and early 20s on a street in Federal Hill. He said the men shouted racial slurs but took nothing from him and announced no motive.

The reward system idea was developed by those living in Mount Vernon, an area that’s become a magnet for teenagers on weekends.

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The community has set up its own escort patrol and is currently considering a reward system to give teenagers an incentive to give information about assaults and incidents. The community plans to advertise the program with the same kind of glossy announcements the club uses.

“Someone who might be thinking about doing that kind of crime is now going to have to think about all the teenagers around them turning them in for a reward,” Warren said.

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At City Hall on Monday, city officials met with business leaders in part to stress a public message that downtown Baltimore is safe, the mayor’s spokesman said. The mayor also said in her weekly newsletter that the problem has been sensationalized.