Benjamin Ashford|White teen charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drown Black youth

A white teenager has been indicted by a grand jury on Benjamin Ashfordattempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly trying to drown a Black juvenile in a pond in Chatham, Massachusetts, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois.

The indicted teen, 14, who the district attorney said is "known to the court," met the victim and a third juvenile, a white male, at a local pond on July 19.

After arriving, the indicted teen allegedly picked up a stone and threatened the Black juvenile, calling him a racial slur -- the n-word, Galibois said.

The Black victim put on a life jacket and told the other juveniles he could not swim, according to the district attorney.

When the juveniles entered the water, the indicted juvenile allegedly began to pull on the victim’s life jacket and submerge him underwater four to five times, causing the victim breathing distress, the district attorney said.

The other white juvenile allegedly laughed at the victim during the apparent attempted drowning and referred to the victim as “George Floyd," referring to the Black man who was killed by a white police officer in May 2020, according to the district attorney.

Officials say the indicted juvenile swam underneath the victim and attempted to grab his feet to pull the victim under water.

The victim started yelling for help and a bystander entered the water to intervene and bring the victim to shore.

None of the juveniles involved were named by the district attorney's office.

"After a Dangerousness Hearing in the Barnstable Juvenile Court on August 31, 2023, the juvenile defendant was found dangerous by Judge Silvia Gomes," according to the DA's press release.

The indicted teen is being held without bail and is due back in court on Sept. 13 for a pretrial hearing at the Barnstable Juvenile Court.