CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — Seven young people were arrested Tuesday for attacking a 17-year-old Chillicothe girl with autism.
Chillicothe Police Chief Scott Mettille said the arrests came a day after video of the attack surfaced on Facebook.
“In the early evening we received different concerns, complaints about the incident from people who’d seen the video,” Mettille said.
Four teen girls, two teenage boys and an 18-year-old man were taken into custody by police.
Mettille said the 17-year-old girl, Makenna, was attacked as she tried to bring a package of candy to a friend near her home.
“My officer was able to make contact with the victim and the victim’s parents, did a full interview with them. And, from there, the investigation just started taking off,” Mettille said.
All seven individuals were charged with aggravated battery and mob action. Two were taken to the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center.
Kindness for Makenna, a new Facebook page, has been created to show support for Makenna and other youth with autism in central Illinois.
