CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – A spokesperson for the Coral Springs Police Department told Local 10 News Thursday that arrests are imminent after a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student was left hospitalized after being body-slammed by one of his peers during a brutal attack.
The student was met with pure brutality by his peers Tuesday and it was all caught on camera.
Local 10 News obtained cellphone video Wednesday depicting a fight among students from MSD at North Community Park in nearby Coral Springs that showed the male getting jumped by multiple teens who were seen pummeling him with heavy blows.
On Thursday, MSD students told Local 10 News that some of their classmates have been arrested after police questioned several of them in an effort to identify those responsible.
“The police came in (and) just took the kid off the class,” said MSD Student Dominic Tardalo. “They asked for his name and he just walked out in handcuffs.”
“The teachers said themselves (that) students are getting pulled out,” said MSD student Jaiden Cable.
Eventually, the student was picked up by at least a few of his peers, who then threw him back on the ground, causing the male to land awkwardly on his neck and head, instantly going limp.
A crowd was seen forming around the chaos and additional cellphone video showed most of the students standing and recording the fight instead of calling for help.
Some students appeared to check on the boy who appeared completely unconscious as they rolled him over on his back. You can hear someone ask if the student was breathing, but others appeared to be more entertained by the fact he was unconscious.
Police told Local 10 News that the male student sustained a skull fracture during the incident and is being treated at a local hospital.
Local 10 News spoke with MSD students who were there when the fight broke out and expressed their concern and disbelief after the incident happened.
“At first it was just a crowd. It was a small argument, disagreement, which turned into something really insane,” said MSD senior Jahron McClellan.
All I could think is these people are animals and I just left,” said MSD senior Matthew Booth.
Police have not identified the students who were allegedly involved in the attack as of Thursday night.
The viral video is sparking outrage in the South Florida community, which already went through utter devastation in 2018 when a shooting at the school claimed the lives of 17 people.
There was previous speculation that the fight took place on school grounds, in one of the parking lots, but in a statement obtained by Local 10 News Wednesday, school principal Michelle Kefford told parents that the incident occurred at a nearby park and not on school grounds.
Read the statement here:
Broward County School Board Vice Chair Debbi Hixon called the attack a “horrific violent act” in a statement to Local 10 News, which read, in part:
“We cannot continue to allow students to be violent and not hold them accountable for their actions.”
Authorities also told Local 10 News that the park is technically a Coral Springs property, despite MSD being located in Parkland.
They said that students who park there are required to pay a fee and must have a pass from the city in order to park there.
A City of Coral Springs spokesperson clarified the rules and regulations Wednesday for people who park at North Community Park, which you can read here.