Five Florida teens have been charged in connection with a brutal mob beating captured on video at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School – the sight of one of the deadliest school shootings in the nation. Chinua Leefatt, 15, Jordan Thompson, 16, Caleb Hensley, 17, and Sylvester Hicks Jr, 16, are currently in custody, and their mugshots have been released.
The fifth teenager, Jahmeer Beautziel, 17, connected to the brutal beating on December 12 turned himself in at the Coral Springs Police Department on Monday. Police are still actively looking for one more suspect, WPLG-TV News reported. All the charged attend the school except for Leefatt, who attends Coral Glades High School.
Arrested and Charged Finally
Thompson, Hensley and Hicks study in Marjory Stoneman Douglas--the site of one of America's worst mass shootings.
A disturbing video first posted by TMZ shows an unidentified lone teenager being assaulted by about six students. The attackers repeatedly kicked and punched the victim until one of them forcefully threw him head-first onto the pavement.
The victim sustained a skull fracture and other injuries as a result of the attack.
According to a friend of the victim, around 15 people were chasing him before the brutal attack took place as he walked towards the school parking lot. The video shows at least two attackers repeatedly punching the victim even after he was thrown to the ground.
Following the assault, several other teenage boys approached the unnamed student, seemingly trying to help him. Unfortunately, he remained unresponsive.
Witnesses reported that during the altercation, one teen had brandished a knife.
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 assaulted was hospitalized after the incident and is currently reported to be recovering at home.
Life Hangs in Balance
School officials in Parkland identified the alleged attackers and arrest affidavits were obtained by the police on Thursday. "The safety of our community and schools remains our top priority," the department said in a press release.
"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."
In an email sent to parents last week, Principal Michelle Kefford expressed her intention to seek the expulsion of the individuals involved in the incident.
"We are also doing everything we can through district processes to ensure these students do not return to our campus," she wrote in the email, according to WPLG.
Barrington Leefatt, the father of the suspect Chinua Leefatt, told the outlet last week that, according to his account, the victim initiated the brawl by hitting his son first. "That [victim] is not innocent, I'm telling you," Leefatt said. "He was attacked first. I have video [of] that. My son is the victim here."
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gained notoriety due to the tragic mass shooting in 2018, during which 14 students and three teachers lost their lives. Former student Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to 17 life terms in prison last year for the Valentine's Day massacre.
