ST. FRANCIS, Minn. – Police are investigating an ambush of a St. Francis teenager last week – an attack that was caught on camera.
Last Thursday night, 15-year-old Sydney DeTenancour accepted an invitation to go for a walk in the woods. Moments later, at least one person started attacking the teenager while up to a dozen others watched and taunted the teenager. One person also joined the attack, while another cut DeTenancour’s hair while she lay in a crouched position, protecting her head.
“I kind of just curled up and made sure I kept my face as normal-looking as possible,” DeTenancour said.
From the video itself – which was recorded by one of the people in the crowd – it’s not clear what prompted the attack. The main instigator went from accusing the teenage victim of interacting with “her man,” to suggesting the victim had alerted police to a friend who was later charged with drinking and driving.
“[I was] trying to tell them what actually happened, but they weren’t listening,” DeTenancour said
After the attack, the teenager managed to walk to her uncle’s home with the help of a friend. Her uncle then insisted on calling her parents, who themselves insisted on calling police.
“My heart was broken when I first saw her. And then when I was looking into it, understanding how this whole thing came about, it’s scary. It’s terrifying. It’s outrageous,” said Jennifer DeTenancour, Sydney’s mother.
On Monday, the St. Francis Police Department released a statement, saying they’d “made an arrest in the assault of a juvenile.” The release further indicated the person had been charged with 5th Degree Assault, and the Anoka County and St. Francis City Attorney’s Offices were both reviewing the case for “potential additional charges.” The statement also states the investigation continues into others “who may have been involved or witnessed the attack.”
Meantime, Sydney continues struggling with headaches, a bleeding nose and the fear of what happened.
“She was more afraid of what might happen if she did report it,” DeTenancour said about her daughter’s hesitation to report the incident to police.
The family ultimately decided they needed to follow up, reporting the incident to police and posting the video to Facebook, in hopes of finding justice and those responsible.
“I want it to get out there. It can’t be tolerated. Whether – get these people help or prosecute them. I just want it to get out there and be known. Parents need to be aware and stand up for things like this,” said Bob DeTenancour, Sydney’s father.
“It was so set up and planned, it made me so disgusted when I saw it,” Jennifer said, adding: “No one stopped to think this isn’t right? They’re kicking her in the head. Any one of those could’ve killed her. They finish it off with breaking a beer bottle over her head in the end – is what they’re bragging about the next day. There’s nothing ok with this.”