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1 year ago
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Four of the teenage suspects who savagely beat a student outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida have been pictured after being charged with felony battery.
Chinua Leefatt, 15, Jordan Thompson, 16, Caleb Hensley, 17, and Sylvester Hicks Jr, 16, are all in custody and have had their mugshots released. Jahmeer Beautziel, 17, has not yet been arrested.
All of the charged attackers attend the school - which was the site of one of the worst mass shootings - except for Leefatt, who attends Coral Glades High School.
Video of the shocking fight shows a teen boy carrying the victim over his shoulder before he slams him head-first onto the concrete, fracturing his skull and rendering him unconscious.
A friend of the victim said 15 people had been chasing him before the vicious attack, which occurred as he was walking towards the school parking lot.
The video sees at least two attackers continuing to punch the victim after he was smashed into the ground.
Chinua Leefatt, 15, left, and Jordan Thompson, 16 have been charged with felony battery
Caleb Hensley, 17, left, and Sylvester Hicks Jr, 16, were also charged and are in custody
Video of the shocking fight shows a teen boy carrying the victim over his shoulder before he slams him head first onto the concrete, rendering him unconscious
Several other teen boys then approach the student and appear to try to help him but he remains unresponsive
Several other teen boys then approach the unnamed student and appear to try to help him, but he remains unresponsive.
Witnesses said that one teen pulled a knife out during the altercation last week.
Patrick Fox, a friend of the victim, told WSVN: 'I was there when they started chasing him, but when I left, he was just in an ambulance leaving, so I heard that he got he fractured his skull or something.'
The student who was attacked was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries following the assault and is now reportedly recovering at home.
Detectives with Coral Springs police made arrests overnight on Thursday, with all four being taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
The suspects have all been charged with one count of felony battery, which police said reflects 'the serious nature of their actions.'
'Our detectives have worked tirelessly around the clock, along with our law enforcement partners to include the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Broward County State Attorney's Office, to swiftly identify and apprehend the individuals involved,' police said in a statement.
'The safety of our community and schools remains our top priority,' police said.
'This continues to be an ongoing investigation where additional arrests may be forthcoming. We want to assure the public that such behavior will not be tolerated.'
Broward County School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff also released a statement regarding the assault:
'This incident is deeply upsetting, and we're thankful that the injured student is recovering. Our thoughts are with him, his family and all of the families that have been impacted.
'We're thankful to the Coral Springs Police Department and the school administration for quickly collaborating to identify the five students. Their arrests serve as a crucial lesson about the severe consequences that can come of one's actions.'
A friend of the victim said that 15 people had been chasing him before the vicious attack
The five suspects have all been charged with one count of felony battery, which police said reflects 'the serious nature of their actions'
The video sees at least two attackers continuing to punch the victim even after he was smashed into the ground
The Parkland school was the site of one of the nation's worst mass shootings - which left 17 students and staff dead in 2018.
Nikolas Cruz, now 24, was sentenced to life in prison in October 2022 for the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre at the high school.
Jurors returned the verdict of recommending life in prison after just a day of deliberations and a three-month-long trial that included graphic videos and photos, heart-wrenching testimony from victims' family members and a tour of the still blood-spattered school building.
The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S.
The shooting stunned the nation and reignited debate on gun control since Cruz had legally purchased the gun he used despite his history of mental issues.
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 prompted no significant reform and gun sales have continued to rise.
There have been more mass shootings, including one in May 2022 that left 19 young children and two adults dead at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
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