CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Five teenage boys are facing felony charges after police said they were caught on camera jumping a victim and body-slamming him in a Coral Springs parking at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Tuesday and now the principal of the school wants them out.
Four of those students were in custody Friday, police said.
Authorities said the following suspects were charged with felony battery, “reflecting the serious nature of their actions.”
- Jahmeer Beauziel, 17, of Coral Springs
- Caleb Hensley, 17, of Parkland
- Sylvester Hicks Jr., 16, of Coral Springs
- Chinua Leefatt, 15, of Coral Springs
- Jordan Thompson, 16, of Coral Springs
A Local 10 News crew heard from Barrington Leefatt, the father of Chinua Leefatt, who said that his son had been attacked before and there is more to the story.
“That kid (victim) is not innocent, I’m telling you,” he said.
“So, you’re saying he was attacked first?” asked Local 10 News reporter Hatzel Vela.
“He was attacked first. I have video in that,” Barrington Leefatt said. “My son is the victim here.”
Local 10 News didn’t receive any comment from the mother of Hicks, as she and the 16-year-old MSD student were seen leaving the detention center.
Police said that the male student who was jumped and body-slammed sustained a skull fracture during the incident and was being treated at a local hospital.
According to arrest warrants, the victim had been in a fight with at least some of the alleged attackers earlier in the week and, because of that, had requested a friend walk with him to the parking lot.
According to Coral Springs police, all of the charged attackers attend MSD, save for Leefatt, who attends Coral Glades High School.
Staff at both schools identified the teen suspects to police after reviewing the videos.
All except Beauziel were in custody as of Friday morning, police said.
“The safety of our community and schools remains our top priority,” police said, in part, in a news release. “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(.)”
Police said two officers were patrolling the area when the attack occurred.
The victim is now recovering at home.
MSD Principal Michelle Kefford told the community that her staff is doing everything they can to make sure the students involved in the attack don’t return to the school.
Kefford released a statement to the families of the students who attend the school on Friday, which you can read here:
Broward County School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff also released a statement Friday on the incident which you can read below.
“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.”