Among the seven juveniles charged in two seemingly random attacks that happened Downtown in January was a 13-year-old boy.

In one of the incidents, which happened the afternoon of Jan. 24 on East Fifth Street, a 15-year-old boy was attacked by a large group.

The 15-year-old was thrown to the sidewalk. Seven attackers surrounded him, punching him and kicking him repeatedly until he was motionless. An eighth attacker then ran up and punched and kicked him.

In Hamilton County Juvenile Court on Wednesday, Judge Kari Bloom asked the 13-year-old to explain why he participated in the attack and why he punched and kicked the victim, even after he appeared to be unconscious.

The boy, wearing a gray polo shirt, black pants and gray sandals − a uniform for juveniles held at the county Youth Center − told Bloom that he was hanging around with the wrong people.

“I was getting influenced to do that,” he said, adding, “I wasn’t in the right mind.”

The 13-year-old, who attended Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School, also told officials he was involved with a gang at the time.

It was one of several hearings Wednesday for juveniles who participated in the January incidents. The 13-year-old had already admitted his role and pleaded to felonious assault.

Bloom placed him on probation and said he will be sent to a residential lockdown youth facility in northern Ohio. He will attend school there, undergo cognitive behavioral therapy and receive mental health treatment, if required. The 13-year-old said he is in eighth grade. Bloom told him to expect to be at the facility through ninth grade.

Jan. 23 incident

Also Wednesday, a 15-year-old boy who admitted being involved in attacking a 45-year-old man on East Sixth Street appeared before Bloom. That incident happened the evening of Jan. 23.

Video showed the man walking on the sidewalk when multiple people approached from behind and knocked him to the concrete. He was kicked repeatedly, even after he was already down. He suffered a black eye and his phone was shattered.

Prosecutors said the man doesn’t speak English and didn’t know the teens who attacked him.

A total of four juveniles, including the 15-year-old boy, have pleaded to misdemeanor assault in that incident, prosecutors said.

On Wednesday, Bloom placed the 15-year-old on probation. If he violates probation, Bloom said she will send him to the county Youth Center, “until I decide what to do with you, otherwise.”

Teen ordered to stay away from Downtown

It was the 15-year-old’s first criminal offense.

Bloom told him that state law prevented her from sending him to a youth prison. She said she has to impose other measures first.

She ordered him to stay away from Downtown and said he must attend a different high school in the fall.

Hearings for three others who have pleaded in at least one of the January attacks were rescheduled Wednesday for later this month. An 18-year-old charged as an adult in the Jan. 23 incident is awaiting trial.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 13-year-old tells judge his role in downtown Cincinnati attack