Binghamton Mayor Richard David announced Friday afternoon that four teenagers have been arrested in connection with recent robberies and car thefts on Binghamton’s West Side.
Those arrested were Aali Tillman, a 16-year-old Binghamton resident charged with robbery; James Carmichael, a 17-year-old Binghamton resident charged with Grand Larceny; a 15-year-old Binghamton male charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and grand larceny; and a 12-year-old Johnson City male charged with robbery.
Four of the five total victims from these incidents were Binghamton University students, and David said that in light of these events there had been an increased police presence in theses areas.
“We will continue to provide an enhanced focus on areas of Downtown and the West Side where there is a high degree of concentration of students,” David said. “That involves targeted patrols, that involves utilizing the CRT, that involves working with University officials on a long-term strategy as the University looks to expand to have more students living in our community.”
David also said that he is looking to enhance communication between the city of Binghamton and Binghamton University to provide relevant crime information to the student body.
Additionally, while students were primarily affected by these incidents, Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said they were not targeted specifically and that the pattern was circumstantial.
“[The Westside] is a highly populated area, mostly by students that happened to be on the street,” Zikuski said. “If it was somebody else, it would have been the same outcome.”
All four of the individuals arrested had prior records with the juvenile Family Court system. According to Zikuski, there are more individuals associated with these incidents that have not yet been arrested, but the police department is aware of their identities and is working to build a case.
Zikuski also credited the individuals’ repeat offenses to a faulty Family Court system, saying that it is frequently very difficult to hold or convict someone. According to him, the robberies were committed purely for entertainment.
“It’s a system that’s broken. It’s making not just the SUNY students but all members of our community unsafe,” Zikuski said. “This was almost like a joy thing. Something for fun. They took some cell phones…they were stealing cars. We’re not going to tolerate it.”
Both David and Zikuski confirmed that investigations are still underway, and encouraged any individuals with more information to contact the Binghamton Police Detective Bureau. Tipsters may remain anonymous.