Five teens are facing charges after a student was brutally beaten and slammed to the ground on his head at a park near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this week, police said.
The five teens, who range in age from 15 to 17, are facing felony battery charges, Coral Springs Police said Friday. All but one have been taken into custody, police said.
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Four of the students attend Stoneman Douglas, while the fifth attends Coral Glades High School. NBC6 is not releasing their names because they are underage.
The incident happened around 3 p.m. Tuesday at a parking lot at North Community Park in Coral Springs.
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Video posted on social media showed the teen get tossed in the air and then thrown to the ground by a group of students.
The video shows the student lying on the ground not moving and apparently unconscious in the lot, which serves as overflow parking for students.
Coral Springs Police said the student was taken to a local hospital but was expected to be okay.
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The student's name and age were unknown, but MSD students said he's a classmate.
Accoording to arrest reports, one of the suspects had walked up to the teen and punched him in the face, then "incited several other males who then joined in on the attack."
At least six suspects were seen on video joining in the attack and punching and kicking the victim, the report said.
Detectives said the victim told them he'd been harassed for days by the suspects and was asking other students to walk with him to the park for protection.
"Our detectives have worked tirelessly around the clock, along with our law enforcement partners to include the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, to swiftly identify and apprehend the individuals involved," police said in a statement Friday. "The safety of our community and schools remains our top priority."
Police said they have around 50 officers on a daily basis who are assigned to patrol areas around schools during dismissal. There were two patrol officers around North Community Park during dismissal time Tuesday, police said.
Officials added that they're still investigating and more arrests could be made.
