Gang member arrested for molesting child as part of initiation

An alleged Atlanta-area gang member was arrested last week after police say he molested a boy as part of a sick initiation ritual.

Antonio Banks, 25, has been charged with child molestation and kidnapping stemming from a 2016 incident in which he allegedly attempted to perform oral sex on a child under 16.

"[Banks] and another juvenile held [the victim] against his will after [he] tried to run from them while being initiated into the gang," according to arrest warrants. "[The victim] may have been a willing participant until oral sex became a part of it."

Police believe it may have been a sort of sexual "beating in" to Gangster Disciples, of which Banks is an alleged member, according to DeKalb County police spokesman Maj. Stephen Fore.

"It has been seen before where members are sexed into a gang," Fore told AJC.com.

Officials have not made it clear why Banks was only just arrested and charged last week, nearly a year after the crime.

Police allege the assault occurred between May and August 2016 inside an abandoned home.

Banks is also accused of burning the boy's thigh with a cigarette.

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