Brutal attack in Lindau: Four boys beat up a 13-year-old!

Brutal attack in Lindau: Four boys beat up a 13-year-old!

On Friday evening, December 8, 2025, a shocking act of violence occurred at the ZUP bus station in Lindau. Four children, aged 11 to 13, attacked a 13-year-old boy from Austria with punches, kicks and even emergency hammers. The incident not only caused horror in the region, but also shed light on the worrying development of youth crime in Bavaria. The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. and was initially reported to the police through an emergency call. While the victim lay injured on the ground, the perpetrators fled. The [Bild] reports that the police arrived just a few minutes after the incident, but all the suspects had already disappeared.

The search by the federal police, the border police and the local police ultimately led to the children being picked up about 300 meters from the scene of the crime, near the Lindau criminal police station. Interestingly, the perpetrators came from a pair of brothers from Syria and two boys from Ukraine who live in Vorarlberg, Austria. “This shows how cross-border this phenomenon is,” comments a police spokesman. The police have informed both the parents and the youth welfare office. Fortunately, the victim did not suffer any serious injuries; the dispute that led to this merciless attack arose between the 13-year-old victim and one of the perpetrators from Ukraine.

Increasing youth crime in Bavaria

This incident is not an isolated case. The [Süddeutsche] points out the alarming increase in acts of violence among children and young people in Bavaria. Meanwhile, robberies and physical attacks among peers are steadily increasing. The main cause often seems to lie in verbal arguments that quickly escalate. The situation is similar in other cities: in Geretsried, for example, a policewoman was injured when she asked young people not to leave trash behind.

The total number of violent confrontations among young people is at an all-time high: in 2024, the Federal Criminal Police Office counted around 13,800 cases of youth violence in Germany. This is more than twice as many as in 2016. Young males are particularly affected, with around 75 percent of suspects under the age of 21 being men. In a country increasingly confronted with these problems, experts are discussing possible measures. Some call for either tougher sanctions in the juvenile justice system or even a reduction in the age of criminal responsibility, while others rely on preventative approaches.

A look at the background

[Statista] highlights that the psychological stress caused by the Corona measures and the associated risk factors for young people seeking protection are seen as the reasons for this increase. At the same time, statistics show that the number of young suspects has fallen by around 6 percent overall since 2024. However, concerns about violence remain and society faces the challenge of addressing these issues before the next escalation occurs.

Incidents like those in Lindau not only illustrate the increasing willingness to use violence among young people, but also raise the question of how we as a community can respond to these challenges. Innovative approaches to youth welfare and increased cooperation between institutions are needed to preventively counteract youth.