NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police say the suspects in a violent crime that took place in Brooklyn, are children.

Surveillance footage shows the four young suspects — accused of robbing and attacking a man — and police say one of them is as young as 8.

As CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported, a 30-year-old man was jumped outside of a co-op building on Willoughby Street off of Ashland Place in Fort Greene on the Friday after Thanksgiving around 12:30 a.m.

Police said four kids, two boys between the ages of 12 and 14, a girl between 12 and 14 and an 8 or 9-year-old boy, approached the man and demanded his phone.



They began punching him and threw him to the ground before taking off with the man’s laptop, headphones and a library book, police said.

People from the neighborhood were surprised to hear that kids so young were out so late without an adult.

“My son can’t be in the street at 12 o’clock and be in the house, and he’s 14.” Gabriel Alfredo said, “Maybe their parents don’t care about the kids.”

“I think that’s horrible, and I think the kids today, the parents need to actually have more control over them. Because that’s ridiculous, that’s their elder, and they should respect him and that should not happen,” Gylen Bryant said.

“It bugs me because I’m not a parent, but I’m about to be one and I wouldn’t want my kid outside at 8 years old at 12:30 at night. They have to get caught and they have to deal with the consequences. ” one man told 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck. “You’re not gonna put them in jail, but they have to be taught a lesson 100 percent.”

Police were still looking for the young suspects on Tuesday. It’s believed they are from the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. Anyone with information has been asked to call police.