A high school lacrosse team in upstate New York has had its season canceled, and 11 players were ordered to turn themselves in to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office after an off-campus hazing incident against younger team members. Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick stated that the incident involves students at Westhill High School in Syracuse, New York, and the office later confirmed the 11 players turned themselves in on Wednesday.
The 11 students who allegedly instigated the prank faced felony charges of kidnapping and had 48 hours to turn themselves in. There are at least five victims in the case, and the district attorney said this case “goes way beyond hazing.”
Why were the students being ordered to surrender?
The older students told the younger players they were going to McDonald’s after watching a lacrosse game on Thursday, April 24. Instead, the kids were taken to a remote location in the southern part of the county. Fitzpatrick said the incident escalated to criminal activity when some older players pretended to be kidnappers.
“At some point, by prearrangement, people came out of the woods all dressed in black,” Fitzpatrick said. “They were armed with what appeared to be at least one handgun and at least one knife. The individual had a pillowcase placed over his head, he was tied up and placed in the trunk of a car.”
That victim believed he would be abandoned in the woods, but was eventually taken home. Four of the other younger kids were able to run away. No one was physically injured during the incident, but at least one of the victims experienced emotional trauma. All 11 students involved in the scheme, some of whom are 18 years old, will be prosecuted for what the DA called “hazing on steroids.”
“This was a group effort. Some people were assigned different roles. I don’t care who held the gun,” Fitzpatrick said. “His role is no different than the guy who held the knife, than the guy who held nothing, than the guy who dragged this poor kid into the trunk of a car. They’re all in this together.”
What was the response from the school district?
In an email to parents, Westhill School District Superintendent Stephen Dunham announced that the rest of the lacrosse season has been canceled, despite the majority of the team having no involvement with the incident.
“Some may argue that all student-athletes shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a few. While I understand that perspective, we must address the culture of the program, and the most appropriate way to do that is with a reset,” Dunham said.
What charges will the students face?
Fitzpatrick said there are multiple videos of the hazing, and some students have given statements to the sheriff’s office. Because the 11 students accused of hazing turned themselves in by Thursday, May 1, they will likely face misdemeanor charges of unlawful imprisonment, and their cases will be handled in family court.
Before they turned themselves in, the district attorney said they would be identified, arrested and face felony kidnapping charges as adults if they didn’t do it within 48 hours.
“If you’re tougher than me, you’re a gambler and you’re going to play the odds, you don’t think you’re going to get caught, trust me,” Fitzpatrick said. “The men and women of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department are going to identify you.”
