Victim (16) in hospital

Beating with a steel chain: perpetrator flees on a scooter

On Wednesday night, an unknown man allegedly beat three 16-year-olds with a steel chain in Vienna's Leopoldstadt district without mercy. One of the victims suffered injuries to his face and forearm. The suspect then allegedly fled the scene on an e-scooter. One suspect (18) was caught. 

The brutal attack is said to have occurred shortly after midnight in Praterstraße. The victims stated that the suspect also had a knife with him. He is said to have taken it out of his waistband before the attack. 

Suspect caught on e-scooter
The alerted officers immediately launched a manhunt and a suspect was quickly apprehended. The suspect was a Syrian man, only 18 years old, who was arrested in the Nestroyplatz area. "In the course of the search, a galvanized, multi-link steel chain was found in the storage box of the e-scooter and seized", Vienna police announced on Wednesday. 

However, a knife was not found during the search. One of the victims had to be taken to hospital due to his injuries. Further investigations are ongoing.