11 high school athletes face charges in armed 'hazing' after prosecutor's ultimatum

After a sedate informing from Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick, 11 precocious schoolhouse lacrosse players successful upstate New York person turned themselves successful to constabulary for their alleged information successful a cruel prank that went "way beyond hazing," Fox News has confirmed. 

The Westhill High School students volition beryllium charged with unlawful imprisonment stemming from an alleged kidnapping astatine gunpoint of astatine slightest 1 younger lacrosse player. 

Fitzpatrick addressed the media Tuesday regarding a concern involving the pupil athletes past week. 

A way and shot tract astatine Westhill precocious schoolhouse successful upstate New York.  (Westhill High School via Facebook)

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"Thursday, April 24th of this twelvemonth during the evening hours, immoderate students from Westhill, who, obviously, due to the fact that of their property I volition not name, decided that they were going to haze oregon play immoderate benignant of prank connected immoderate of the younger members of the lacrosse team," Fitzpatrick said. "There were astatine slightest 5 imaginable victims that the sheriff's unfortunate has identified."

"One successful peculiar was an idiosyncratic who was taken to what helium thought was to beryllium an enjoyable evening with the upperclassmen and spell to a lacrosse crippled and past decorativeness the evening having thing to devour astatine McDonalds," the territory lawyer said. 

"He was taken to a distant country of the county, and astatine immoderate point, by pre-arrangement, radical came retired of the woods each dressed successful black. "They were equipped with what appeared to beryllium astatine slightest 1 handgun and astatine slightest 1 knife," according to Fitzpatrick. "A pillowcase was placed implicit his head, helium was tied up, and placed successful the trunk of a car." 

District Attorney William Fitzpatrick of Onondaga County, New York. (Ononda)

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He told the perpetrators that they had 48 hours to crook themselves successful and look the kidnapping charges, oregon look felony second-degree kidnapping charges, which transportation a maximum punishment of 25 years successful prison. 

"This is simply a 48 hr offer," helium said. "Get an attorney, interaction the sheriff's department, put to surrender yourself. You'll beryllium fixed an quality ticket."

"If you don't - if you're tougher than maine and you're a gambler and you're going to play the likelihood and you don't deliberation you're going to get caught, spot maine - the men and women of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department are going to place you, you'll beryllium arrested, you'll beryllium prosecuted arsenic an big and you'll beryllium charged with the very, precise superior felony of kidnapping successful the 2nd degree."

Fitzpatrick added that helium could not explicate to the assemblage the "lack of judgement and stupidity" progressive successful this case. 

"This goes way, mode beyond hazing - you know, doing thing anserine arsenic a rite of passage," helium said. 

He besides said that successful mean cases, parents of the victims would beryllium allowed to determine if they wanted to property charges. Due to the gravity of this peculiar case, his bureau took it upon itself to proceed arsenic they would with immoderate different transgression matter. 

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Lisa O'Reilly the President of the Board of Education of The Westhill Central School District released a connection Wednesday afternoon. 

"We are alert of the District Attorney’s connection and are continuing to cooperate afloat with the ongoing investigation," she said. "At this time, the District has nary further accusation to share. While the probe is ongoing, we stay committed to the values of pupil safety, dignity, and accountability. We stay successful adjacent interaction with instrumentality enforcement and stay focused connected supporting our students and ensuring the information and well-being of our schoolhouse community."

Fox News' Sandy Ibrahim contributed to this report.