11 high school athletes charged in armed hazing following prosecutor’s warning

11 high school lacrosse players in upstate New York have reportedly surrendered to the police following a serious warning from Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick. The players are accused of engaging in a severe prank that crossed the line into something far more dangerous than typical hazing, as confirmed by Fox News. 

These students from Westhill High School are set to be charged with unlawful imprisonment related to an incident where they allegedly kidnapped a younger lacrosse player at gunpoint. 

Fitzpatrick addressed the media Tuesday regarding a situation involving the student athletes last week. 

A track and football field at Westhill high school in upstate New York.  (Westhill High School via Facebook)

After issuing a deadline for the perpetrators to come forward and address the kidnapping accusations, the District Attorney informed them that failing to do so within 48 hours would result in felony second-degree kidnapping charges. Such charges come with a potential punishment of up to 25 years in prison. 

“This is a 48 hour offer,” he said. “Get an attorney, contact the sheriff’s department, arrange to surrender yourself. You’ll be given an appearance ticket.”

“If you don’t – if you’re tougher than me and you’re a gambler and you’re going to play the odds and you don’t think you’re going to get caught, trust me – the men and women of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department are going to identify you, you’ll be arrested, you’ll be prosecuted as an adult and you’ll be charged with the very, very serious felony of kidnapping in the second degree.”

Fitzpatrick added that he could not explain to the community the “lack of judgment and stupidity” involved in this case. 

“This goes way, way beyond hazing – you know, doing something stupid as a rite of passage,” he said. 

He also said that in normal cases, parents of the victims would be allowed to decide if they wanted to press charges. Due to the gravity of this particular case, his office took it upon itself to proceed as they would with any other criminal matter. 

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

“We are aware of the District Attorney’s statement and are continuing to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation,” she said. “At this time, the District has no additional information to share. While the investigation is ongoing, we remain committed to the values of student safety, dignity, and accountability. We remain in close contact with law enforcement and remain focused on supporting our students and ensuring the safety and well-being of our school community.”

Fox News’ Sandy Ibrahim contributed to this report.