Youth sent to hospital after refusing to join gang

Police say a 17-year-old was beaten unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital after he told a gang recruiter he didn't want to join a Louisville gang. Police say it happened on May 19. According to a criminal summons, 22-year-old Loney Duerson Holman, along with two juvenile accomplices, walked up to a 17-year-old and took his bike. The 17-year-old and a 15-year-old friend followed Holman and his accomplices to a location on Tazwell Drive, near Murphy Lane. When they arrived, police say Holman and his accomplices tried to get the two teenagers to join a gang. (WDRB News is withholding the name of that gang.) When the teenagers refused to join, police say they were attacked. According to the citation, the 17-year-old was hit in the head with a board. The attack left him unconscious. The 15-year-old ran away. The attackers chased him, but he managed to escape. Police say Holman and his accomplices went through the 17-year-old's pockets, taking a cell phone. They later fled the scene. When the 17-year-old regained consciousness, he was able to flag down a stranger for help. A neighbor took him to the hospital for treatment. Police say he suffered swelling and knots to the back of his head, a cut to his chin that required stitches, bruising to his chest and hands and a possible concussion. Police were called. Some time later, both of the teenagers were able to identify Holman as their attacker. Police say the two juvenile accomplices are known members of a gang that, "is comprised of over five members. The members of this gang have been convicted of more than two felony offenses for the purposes of furthering gang activity within a two-year period." Holman is charged with robbery and criminal gang recruitment. The status of Holman's accomplices is not known, due to the fact that they're juveniles.