Attorney General Tom Reilly has obtained a civil rights order against three Lowell teenagers accused of physically and verbally assaulting two University of Massachusetts Lowell students, both men in their twenties and Indian-born, who were en route to the library with a female friend to study for exams.

The civil rights order, granted today by Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Leila R. Kern, stems from a December 2 incident near the university campus involving three Lowell teenagers accused of shouting derogatory remarks about Osama bin Laden, then punching and kicking the students.

The order prohibits John Cullinan, 18, John McCarthy, 19, and Tammy Perry, 19, all of Lowell, from threatening, intimidating or coercing the Indian students or anyone else in the Commonwealth on the basis of their color, ethnic background and/or national origin. The preliminary injunction also prohibits the three teens from communicating with the students or any other citizens assisting the police or Attorney General's Office in their investigation of the incident.

In addition, the teenagers cannot knowingly come within 500 feet of the students' place of employment or residence. A violation of the order constitutes a criminal offense punishable by up to 10 years in state prison.

According to the complaint filed last week by AG Reilly's Office in Middlesex County Superior Court, the three teenagers had been drinking and driving around in a van owned by Cullinan, when they approached the three students on Fourth Avenue in Lowell. The defendants proceeded to yell obscenities relating to Osama bin Laden at the two men and then proceeded to kick and punch them.

Both males suffered cuts and bruises to the face and both had their glasses broken. AG Reilly has sought several civil rights orders in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and has repeatedly cautioned against threats or acts of violence against Muslims or individuals perceived to be of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent. AG Reilly communicates regularly and directly with those ethnic or religious groups considered particularly vulnerable post-September 11 and during this time of international conflict.

Perry and Cullinan are also facing criminal charges filed by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
Assistant Attorney General Rosalind Kabrhel of AG Reilly's Civil Rights Division is handling this case. Detective Tom Hultgren, Officer Scott Fuller, and Sgt. Joe Murray of the Lowell Police Department provided assistance to AG Reilly's Office.

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