Four young teens robbed a 17-year-old Madison teenager of his backpack Wednesday afternoon near West Towne Mall.
The teens chased the victim from the West Towne Mall parking lot to a sidewalk across the street, according to a police incident report.
The teens then surrounded the victim and one of the teens took the victim's wallet. The alleged thieves then demanded the victim's backpack.
""When he refused to give it up, three suspects struck him in the head,"" Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said in a statement.
The victim was then able to run away and flag down a police officer. More officers arrived on the scene and were able to track down the teens. The alleged thieves were tentatively charged with strong arm robbery and battery, police said.
Three of the thieves are 14 years old and the fourth is 13 years old, police said.
The Madison Fire Department paramedics treated the victim for a bloody nose. The victim also complained of jaw pain, police said.
