Five Florida high school students face felony battery charges after brutally beating teenager
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
PARKLAND, FLORIDA: Five teenagers from Florida have been charged in connection with the brutal mob beating of a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which a few years ago was the scene of one of the worst school shootings in US history.
On Monday morning, December 18, the fifth teenager connected to the brutal beating on December 12 turned himself in at the Coral Springs Police Department.
Who all have been arrested?
Chinua Leefatt, 15, Jordan Thompson, 16, Caleb Hensley, 17, and Sylxxvester Hicks Jr, 16, have been arrested, DailyMail reported. Jahmeer Beautziel, 17, surrendered. Police are still looking for one more suspect.
The unsettling footage of the mob beating was initially shared by TMZ and features an unidentified adolescent being assaulted by six other students who repeatedly kick and punch him.
Eventually, one of the teenagers throws the victim to the ground head-first. The victim had multiple injuries in addition to a fractured skull. The alleged attackers were identified by representatives of the Parkland School, and on Thursday, December 14, police were able to obtain arrest affidavits.
“The safety of our community and schools remains our top priority,” the police department stated in a press release.
It further added, “On a daily basis, we have approximately 50 officers from multiple specialized units who are assigned to patrol areas around schools during dismissal. In this incident, we did have two patrol officers around North Community Park during dismissal time.”
Four of the accused teenagers attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, while the fifth attends Coral Glades High School, which is located nearby.
Teenagers have been charged with felony battery
Authorities said that each of the teenagers faced charges of felony battery. Following Beauziel's surrender on Monday, authorities are now looking for one more suspect.
Michelle Kefford, the principal of the school, stated in an email to parents last week that she hopes to expel them. She added in the email, "We are also doing everything we can through district processes to ensure these students do not return to our campus," WPLG reported.
The victim started the fight by slugging his son first, according to Barrington Leefatt, the father of suspect Chinua Leefatt, who spoke with the outlet last week. “That [victim] is not innocent, I’m telling you,” Leefatt declared.
“He was attacked first. I have video [of] that. My son is the victim here," he added.
The horrifying mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 that claimed the lives of 14 students and three teachers is well-known, New York Post reported.
For the Valentine's Day massacre, last year former student Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to 17 life terms. Cruz allegedly stormed the school brandishing an AR-15 assault rifle, dousing helpless victims in bullets and, in some cases, turning around to finish off the wounded.
The school was put on lockdown on February 15 this year, one day after the shootings' fifth anniversary, after teachers received a "suspicious phone call".
