Two teenagers, Eric Johnson, 17, and Shaquan Hickman, 16, have been charged with “robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and theft” for whacking Ethan Rappolt, 29, in the head with a “piece of cinder block” and threatening him with a knife in Pittsburgh.
They are being charged as adults.
The local high-school students allegedly took the victim’s cellphone and wallet, according to TribLive.com, who described the crime:
Rappolt testified he was sitting on the ground preparing to repair a car when he “felt a strong blow to the back of my head.”
The alleged victim said he was “very confused,” and, when he touched the back of his head, “I came away with blood.”
In an emergency room, seven staples were used to close Rappolt’s head wound. Rappolt learned he had a concussion and was told not to drive for a week.
Evidently, Rappolt had previously “set up the [stolen] phone to send copies of his cell phone photos to the social network Google Plus so that he wouldn’t lose the images.”
This was the undoing of his attackers, as “all but one of the photos showed the defendants.” Rappolt recognized the teens and Pittsburgh Public Schools police officer Brad Manjack “testified he was emailed four photos and he was able to identify Johnson and Hickman in each of the four photos. He testified that he recognized the two as Carrick students.”
Shaquan Hickman’s sister and “legal guardian,” Shayla Jordan, said that she was shopping with her brother at the time of the attack. She said that “the two used a $200 Children and Youth Services voucher to buy items at the Century III Mall store, and she testified she has been trying to get a copy of the footage and voucher to prove the youth wasn’t in Arnold at the time of the robbery.”
Hickman’s Facebook page has a post that quotes lyrics to “Live By The Gun.”
The chorus is:
Live by the gun, I’m a die by the gun [x3]
A nigga shoot at me, so you know I’m shootin back!
Live by the gun, I’m a die by the gun [x3]
A nigga shoot at me, so you know I’m shootin back!
The article did not speculate on how the teens’ photos came to be on the victim’s phone. Hopefully, the truth will come out in court, as these teens will be facing a life-changing prison sentence if they are guilty of this ruthless crime.
Watch a local news report here:
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