Boys in court Friday in Target shopping cart incident

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Two 12-year-old boys appeared in family court Friday morning for allegedly assaulting a woman with a shopping cart.

One boy's mother and father came out of family court in tears, running from reporters and camera crews up the block.

The other boy's mother came out wanting to apologize for this horrible incident last Sunday that left 47-year-old Marion Hedges fighting for her life.

Hedges was shopping at Target in East Harlem buying candy for underprivileged kids, when the two 12-year-old boys hurled a shopping cart from a 4th floor walkway.

Hedges' son watched in horror as she was critically injured.

"My heart goes out to Mrs. Hedges, her children, her family, but I'm also a mother, I'm going to be by myself, he's only 12-years old," the boy's mother said.

In family court, attorneys for both boys tried to argue that they should be released to their parents' custody, but the judge was unconvinced.

An attorney for one boy, who we'll call, R.H. said, "What happened to this woman on Sunday is horrible, but they are not charging him with an intentional act here. The fact that it's not an intentional crime, should give the court pause."

An attorney for the other boy, initials J.R. spoke of how nervous he was returning to juvenile detention.

"This is a very unfamiliar time, it's very unfamiliar for adults much less a 12-year-old," said Shahabuddeen Ally, the 12-year-old's attorney.

Prosecutors in this case say they have at least 10 witnesses they'll present against the boys.

This crime is resonating with New Yorkers because Marion Hedges was the type of person who would have tried to help struggling families like theirs.

"He's a good kid, I just need help. (What sort of help?) I'm a single mom, I need help," the boy's mother said.

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new york city, east harlem, new york news, stacey sager

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