Police identify two 13-year-olds in brutal Dornbirn robbery

Police have identified two 13-year-old boys as suspects in a robbery that left a 72-year-old man seriously injured in Dornbirn, ORF reported Wednesday.

The man was attacked at about 1.16 a.m. on Tuesday after the boys followed him on foot and struck him from behind. Police said they punched and kicked him in the head and upper body. One suspect allegedly kicked him in the head again while he was lying helpless and probably unconscious, then stole his wallet. The man was taken to Dornbirn hospital with serious injuries.

Police said they identified the boys after checking several young people during a search and comparing photographs with evidence from the scene. The suspects were questioned and then released into their parents’ care.

According to police, the boys are repeat offenders who have committed more than 300 offences in Vorarlberg so far this year. One is Syrian and the other is a German born in Austria. Because they are below the age of criminal responsibility, they cannot be charged, convicted or held in pre-trial detention, police said.

The Vorarlberg State Criminal Police Office is investigating with Dornbirn police. Witnesses, or anyone who noticed suspicious young people or groups in Dornbirn before or after the attack, are asked to call +43 (0) 59133 80 3333.