TikTok Challenge Gone Wrong: Students Charged After Beating Up Falsely Accused Child Predator
A group of students from Assumption University in Massachusetts is currently facing serious legal repercussions following a TikTok challenge gone wrong. The challenge, inspired by the infamous "To Catch a Predator" TV show, led to allegations of kidnapping and conspiracy after a man was lured to campus under false pretenses.
The "To Catch a Predator" show, known for exposing alleged predators who believed they were meeting children, has sparked various imitations in the online world. Unfortunately, a TikTok challenge based on this concept has landed some students in hot water.
The incident in question took place on October 1, when an 18-year-old student, Kelsy Brainard, used Tinder to entice a man to the university campus. The plan was to replicate the TikTok trend of luring a supposed sexual predator to a location and either physically assaulting them or alerting the authorities.
Subsequently, Joaquin Smith, Isabella Trudeau, Kevin Carroll, Kelsy Brainard, and Easton Randall found themselves charged with kidnapping and conspiracy due to the escalation of their ill-conceived challenge.
Initially, Brainard claimed to the university police that she was a victim herself, stating that a suspicious individual she met on Tinder had come to the campus seeking an underage girl. However, the situation took a dark turn when the man reported to the Worcester Police Department that he had been attacked by a group of approximately 25 individuals.
According to reports, the man, who was in Worcester to attend his grandmother's funeral, was led to a reception hall under false pretenses and was then confronted by the group of students. He was initially restrained but managed to break free during a scuffle, during which he was physically assaulted.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that Brainard's initial report was falsified, and the man was lured to the campus under deceptive circumstances orchestrated by the students. The police discovered that the students had exchanged messages planning the deception and subsequent confrontation.
The police report stated, "The premeditated gathering and staging of the students in the lounge area to catch this subject... was conducted by the use of trickery or deceit to seize, confine, or kidnap this person."
Expressing disapproval of the students' actions, a university spokesperson labeled their behavior as "abhorrent" and emphasized the institution's stance against all forms of violence and misconduct.
Kevin Carroll, one of the students involved, is facing additional charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, while Brainard has been charged with witness intimidation.
The accused students are set to appear in Worcester District Court for arraignment on January 16th, where they will face the legal consequences of their misguided TikTok challenge.
