A ninth black teenager convicted in the Halloween night beating of three white women was sentenced to probation, community service and racial sensitivity counseling.
The 18-year-old, unlike the other defendants, was not placed under house arrest or ordered to receive anger-management counseling.
The victims were in an affluent area of Long Beach that draws crowds with fancy Halloween displays when a crowd of black youths yelled racial insults and one shouted "I hate whites," according to prosecutors.
Nine teens — eight female and one male — were tried as a group and convicted last month of assault, eight with hate-crime enhancements. A 10th defendant was acquitted.
Two 15-year-old boys still await trial on charges of felony assault with the hate-crime enhancement.
'She lost her moral compass'
Prosecutor Andrea Bouas, who unsuccessfully sought stiffer punishments for others, recommended probation for the last defendant.
“She lost her moral compass that night,” Bouas said. “We know she has a moral compass.”
The defendant told the judge she wasn’t involved in the beating.
One victim testified the trio was pelted with small pumpkins and lemons, and were set upon by the group as they tried talk away. A witness testified two of the women were beaten with skateboards.
Prosecutors said the beating only ended when a black motorist stopped, pulled the assailants away and shielded the women with his body.