Two former University City High School students admitted on Friday to their involvement in pushing a Drexel graduate student into moving traffic Jan. 20.
The attack occurred near 36th and Spring Garden streets, about 10 blocks north of Penn's campus. The Drexel student was beaten, but not seriously injured.
The two 17-year-olds were charged with aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy and then ruled delinquent in a hearing in Family Court.
The teens are currently under house arrest until a March 10 hearing at which Judge Lori Dumas will announce their punishment.
Assistant District Attorney Paul Goldman said that the two could face anything from probation to juvenile supervision.
While officials initially charged the juveniles with attempted murder, Goldman said that the evidence at hand made that charge unsuitable.
"Aggravated assault was the appropriate charge and we're happy to see an admission to those charges," he said.
Two other students were involved in the attack, in which the four teens were caught on videotape punching a 30-year-old Drexel student before pushing him into oncoming traffic.
Tyrez Osbourne, 18, is the only person involved being charged as an adult. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The fourth assailant is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 15. It is unknown if that hearing will produce another admission of guilt, Goldman said.
The victim -- who suffered injuries to his jaw and lip -- appeared in court on Friday and will be involved in the rest of the proceedings.
He is still deciding whether to return to his native Haiti, Goldman said.
In the wake of the incident, Drexel students called for both increased security and increased awareness.
"I think [crime is] definitely getting worse here, and I don't know how much faith I have in the security system," Drexel sophomore Kirk Garrido said.
"It's always been dangerous," he added. "But the thing that makes it scary is that [the incident] was just so random."
"I think you just have to watch out for yourself," Drexel freshman Stephen Gyarmati said. "There's only so much [the police] can do. The rest you need to do."
Penn criminologist Larry Sherman said that the attack is more likely an anomaly than the start of a trend.
"It's often difficult to tell who is a juvenile and who isn't," he said. "Identifying a trend in juvenile crime is just very difficult."
Sherman did praise Penn for its actions in trying to prevent juvenile crime, noting the University's involvement in both the Penn-Alexander Elementary School and University City High School.
"I think Penn is doing a lot to help strengthen the general social fabric of the West Philadelphia community," he said.
Officials at Drexel's Department of Public Safety were unavailable for comment.
