Five suspects have been charged for their alleged roles in a brutal attack that was recorded on video last week near the site of one of America’s worst mass shootings.
The assault reportedly happened after school at North Community Park in Coral Springs, which is only a few hundred feet away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — the site of the Parkland massacre in 2018.
Cellphone video showed one suspect throwing the victim head-first into the ground. Once the victim hit the ground, a couple of the suspects appear to hit the victim before most people in the vicinity run away after the victim appeared to be knocked out cold.
Authorities charged five suspects with felony battery due to the “serious nature of their actions.”
Four of the suspects had their mugshots released, including Caleb Hensley, 17, of Parkland; Sylvester Hicks Jr., 16, of Coral Springs; Chinua Leefatt, 15, of Coral Springs; and Jordan Thompson, 16, of Coral Springs.
A fifth suspect, Jahmeer Beauziel, 17, of Coral Springs, turned himself in on Monday.
NBC News reported that all of the suspects except for Leefatt are students at the school.
‼️WARNING! SHOCKING VIOLENCE! Student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland brutally beaten.
Witnesses say this took place after school hours at North Community Park.
Coral Springs Police responded. pic.twitter.com/q4HGVPnoNT
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) December 13, 2023
Local 10 News reported that Leefatt’s said that his son was “the victim here” and that he allegedly has “video” showing that his son “was attacked first.”
“That kid (victim) is not innocent, I’m telling you,” the father claimed.
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The local station reported that the victim had been in an altercation with the suspects earlier in the week and had requested that another student walk with him to the parking lot out of fear for his safety.
“In this incident, we did have two patrol officers around North Community Park during dismissal time,” police said in part in a statement. “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 in the City of Coral Springs.”