5 teens charged in violent beating at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Five teenagers have been charged with felony battery after a "physical altercation" at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, police said.
The Coral Springs Police Department said on Friday that it had obtained arrest affidavits for five teens, aged 15 to 17, involved in the Dec. 12 incident. Four of the teens were in custody as of Dec. 15. The South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper reported on Monday that the last teen turned himself in to police.
On Dec. 12, officers responded to reports of a fight near the high school student parking lot at around 3 p.m. local time. A student was transported to the hospital with "non-life threatening injuries," the department said at the time.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that video had shown the group of teens ambushing an 18-year-old student in the parking lot. The student was lifted into the air, slammed on the ground and punched and kicked by multiple people. Witnesses said that the fight began when the victim was punched in the face, and then others were urged to join in, according to the newspaper.
Four of the teens were identified as students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of a 2018 shooting that left 17 dead. One is a student at Coral Glades High School.
Police said in a Facebook post on Monday that they were working to identify "an additional suspect" in the incident.
"The safety of our community and schools remains our top priority. 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. This continues to be an ongoing investigation where additional arrests may be forthcoming," the police department said. "We want to assure the public that such behavior will not be tolerated in the City of Coral Springs."
In Florida, felony battery is a third-degree felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison.