Nine male teens brutally beat up a lone male victim after he defended a bullied female at a Florida high school, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.
The 17-year-old male victim of the beatdown was having lunch Friday with his girlfriend in the cafeteria at Harmony High School in St. Cloud when they saw another female being bullied, officials said, adding that carrots were being thrown at her.
'This victim did the right thing by standing up for another student being bullied. He is the brave one; the nine teens that chose violence against him are the cowards.'
The male victim told the suspects to stop throwing food at the female, officials said, and two males argued with the victim and his girlfriend.
The male victim then tried to de-escalate the situation by leaving the area with his girlfriend, authorities said.
But just after 2:30 p.m. the same day, deputies responded to reports of an off-campus physical altercation, officials said.
The male victim was walking to his car when one of the suspects, a 16-year-old, struck him, authorities said.
With that, the other eight suspects — ages 14 through 18 — repeatedly threw punches at the victim’s face and head, leaving him bloodied and injured, officials said.
The victim's mother took him to a hospital, and he received 11 stitches to close the wounds in his face, authorities said.
Deputies received a cellphone video of the beatdown, officials said, adding that the clip was used to identify all the suspects.
Deputies on Wednesday went to Harmony High School and arrested the nine male students who participated in the crime, officials said, adding that all nine were charged with felony aggravated battery and felony inciting a riot.
Two 18-year-olds — Quianelle Antonio Reyes-Cintron and Brian Alexander Ramirez — were booked into the Osceola County Jail, officials said, while the seven minor suspects were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
Officials said Sheriff Chris Blackmon wants to send a message to all students attending public or private schools in the county. “If you put your hands on another student on or off campus, deputies will arrest you. This victim did the right thing by standing up for another student being bullied. He is the brave one; the nine teens that chose violence against him are the cowards.”
Osceola School District Superintendent Mark Shanoff added the following, authorities said: "Let me be clear: physical intimidation, threats, or acts of violence of any kind will not be tolerated in our schools or in our community, whether on or off campus. Such behavior is fundamentally inconsistent with the values of our school district and the standards of conduct we expect from every student. We take these matters seriously, and there must be accountability when those expectations are violated. I am grateful for our tremendous partnership with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and our law enforcement partners, whose collaboration is essential to maintaining safe communities and ensuring our students are held to the highest standards of respect, responsibility, and personal conduct.”
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