The attacks, the second of their kind in just over a month, have sparked fear, frustration, and concern that the next outburst could kill someone.
The outrage prompted officials to flood downtown with police officers this weekend and drew a pledge for a long-term comprehensive response from Mayor Nutter, expected to be announced Monday.
Police also will strictly enforce a curfew this weekend: Children younger than 13 must be home by 10 p.m.; those younger than 18 by midnight.
The attacks have left people struggling to understand the brazenness and explosiveness of the teens' violent behavior.
"Typically, when doing juvenile crime you can see a reason for an attack. There's an aggression, there's a slight, something that sets someone off," prosecutor Leslie Gomez said after the Friday hearing. "These were completely vicious and random attacks on strangers, one after the other after the other."
Aleek Hamilton, 19, was one of three teens arrested in the June 25 attacks on 15th Street, which occurred after hundreds of youths left the Susquehanna Community Festival and headed to LOVE Park and South Street.
"Some people go down there for the girls; others just to be seen," Hamilton said in an interview, adding that he was in the crowd but did not participate in the violence. "Some people go and try to be all tough until the police come, then they run."
Some kids just don't care, he said.
"They get greedy. They see someone's iPod or slick phone and they want it and they just take it," he said.
Those kids want to make a name for themselves, he said.
