A group of at least four men jumped four teenagers outside the Dover Mall July 25, beating one of them into unconsciousness before making their escape.

    Dover Police have little to go on in identifying the assailants, said Lt Paul Bernat, commander of the department’s patrol unit.

    “It seems almost a random thing,” Bernat said. “Those are the ones that are hard to solve.”

    According to two of the victims, Mark Campbell Jr., 15, and Ben Durham, 14, both of Dover, they had left the Carmike Cinemas at approximately 11 p.m. They were walking outside toward the southern corner of the mall, where they had arranged to be picked up, when a vehicle pulled up at the southeast corner of the J.C. Penney’s store.

    Two men jumped out, one of them shouting, “Who threw the [expletive] rock?” and started punching Mark in the face, the teens told police. The other two teens immediately ran for cover, they said.

    Despite trying to tell the men no one had thrown anything at their vehicle, the men backed Mark up against a tree and continued punching him while two others came up to Ben and punched him once in the face. Ben then ran for safety, rounding the south corner of the mall, where he and one of the others hid in some bushes near the Sears catalog pickup area.

    “I really couldn’t help him out,” Ben said. “I’d already taken a hit. There were two dudes on him and two coming after me.”

    Deciding he couldn’t fight back if all four turned their attention from Mark to himself, Ben said he felt the best course of action was to get away and call for help.

    After beating Mark, the men got back into their vehicle and chased Ben and the other teen through the vacant mall parking lot. He was so out of breath the 911 dispatcher continually asked him to stop running so he could understand the situation.

    That was something Ben felt he dare not do. The men quickly drove off when they saw him using his phone, he said.

    Police arrived on the scene moments afterward to find Mark unconscious in the Penney’s parking area, his face covered in blood. First taken to Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, he later was airlifted to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital, suffering from a fractured skull, fractured nose and a fractured right eye socket.

Victim remembers little of the incident
    Mark’s father, Mark Campbell, and Campbell's partner, Lisa Torbert, were outraged at the apparent lack safety measures for children who attend late shows at the mall cinema.

    “I think security issues need to be looked at and changed to protect kids under 16,” Campbell said.

    Campbell thinks mall officials should have youngsters unable to drive remain in the food court area until transportation arrives, instead of going out into the parking lot.

    “They shouldn’t be allowed to leave the area,” he said. “There ought to be at least two security guards there at all times after the kids come out.”

    On the other hand, parents should make it their business to arrange a definite place and time to pick up their children, Torbert said.

    Even that, however, might not be an ideal solution, since the assault occurred less than five minutes after Mark had called home, she said.

    Today, a little more than a week after the assault, Mark remembers little of what happened, either because of the aftereffects of the beating or because he subconsciously blocks the memories, Torbert said. He did have flashbacks at the hospital and while being taken to A.I. DuPont, and had to be sedated to stop from flailing out at the medics.

    Aside from his other physical injuries, Mark also may suffer some permanent hearing loss, she added.

    Tricia Southard, director of marketing at the Dover Mall, said personnel from Control Security Services, the mall’s security firm, were involved in the aftermath of the incident, but cannot give details. Mall executives are committed to providing a safe environment for shoppers and employees, she added.

    However, they are leaving the work of finding the assailants to law enforcement authorities, she said.

    “Since this incident is currently under investigation by the Dover Police Department, I cannot provide any specific details at this time,” Southard said.

    Bernat said everyone – not just adolescents – should be extra cautious when in deserted areas at night.

    “It’s always best to stay in groups,” Bernat said. “Of course, these kids were, but there’s always safety in numbers. Parents should make arrangements to pick up their kids and then should be early.

    “It’s better to wait for your kids than to have your kids wait for you,” he said.

    Torbert and Campbell agree.

    “They were there as a group and nothing had ever happened to them before,” she said. “This was something that could happen to any kids, without warning, at any time.”

    She plans to lobby mall executives to improve security, Torbert added.

    Bernat added police only know the vehicle, which may have been dark gray in color, was a minivan or a minivan-type vehicle. Other than describing the assailants as black, the only other description was that one of them wore his hair in short dreadlocks, he added.

    Anyone who might have information on this assault is asked to call Dover Police at 736-7111.

Email Jeff Brown at jeff.brown@doverpost.com.