Five high school students – aged between 15 and 17 – are hit with felony charges over brutal beating of Marjory Stoneman Douglas teen after horrific video showed attackers slamming victim’s head into concrete
Five high school students have been charged with a crime after a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student was brutally attacked earlier this week.
Coral Springs police said in a statement that all but one of the students are currently in custody, with ages ranging from 15 to 17.
Chinua Leefatt, 15, Jordan Thompson, 16, Caleb Hensley, 17, and Sylvester Hicks Jr., 16, are all in custody, while Jahmeer Beautziel, 17, remains in custody.
The five have all been charged with one offence, which police say reflects 'the serious nature of their actions'.
In a statement, police said, “Our detectives worked tirelessly around the clock, along with our law enforcement partners, including the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Broward County State Attorney's Office, to quickly identify and arrest the individuals involved.”
Coral Springs police said in a statement that all but one of the students are currently in custody, with ages ranging from 15 to 17.
Video of the shocking fight shows a teenage boy carrying the victim over his shoulder before slamming his head on the concrete, apparently knocking him unconscious.
A friend of the victim told local media earlier this week that 15 people had chased him before the attack.
At least two attackers are seen continuing to hit the victim after he was knocked to the ground.
Three other teenage boys approach the student and appear to try to help him, but he does not respond.
Witnesses told it WSVN that a teenager pulled a knife during the altercation on Tuesday.
Patrick Fox, a friend of the victim, told the station: “I was there when they started chasing him, but when I left he was just in an ambulance leaving so I heard he had fractured his skull or something.” .'
The student who was attacked was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after the attack and is now reportedly recovering at home.
WSVN reported that Coral Springs detectives made arrests overnight Thursday, taking all four to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
Police also added that their investigation remains active and more arrests could be made.
The five have all been charged with one offence, which police say reflects 'the serious nature of their actions'.
The school in Parkland, Florida, was the site of one of the nation's worst mass shootings, which left 17 students and staff dead in 2018.
Nicolas Cruz, now 24, was sentenced to life in prison in October for the Valentine's Day high school massacre.
Jurors reached a verdict recommending a life sentence after just a day of deliberations and a three-month trial that included harrowing videos and photos, heartbreaking testimony from victims' relatives and a tour of the still blood-spattered school building.
The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting ever tried in the US
The shooting stunned the nation and reignited the debate over gun control, as Cruz had legally purchased the gun he used, despite his history of mental problems.
On March 24, 2018, nationwide marches inspired by school shooting survivors and parents of victims brought together 1.5 million people – the largest public turnout ever in defense of stricter gun control laws in America.
But the Parkland shooting did not lead to significant reforms and gun sales have continued to rise.
There have been other mass shootings, including one in May that left 19 young children and two adults dead at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.