SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Three Lake Mary High School students were arrested Thursday after another student was seriously injured in an attack on campus.
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According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was leaving the school cafeteria with his lunch just before 11 a.m. when a 16-year-old student approached him and took food from the victim’s plate.
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When confronted, deputies say the 16-year-old suspect punched the victim in the nose with a closed fist.
According to the sheriff’s office, that’s when another 16-year-old student and a 14-year-old student joined in the attack by tripping the victim.
Deputies say all three suspects continued to punch the victim in the head after he fell to the ground.
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According to an incident report, the three attackers ran away from the school and were found less than an hour later at a Target on Lake Mary Blvd.
The Seminole County Fire Department responded to the school and treated the victim for a severely broken nose. According to the sheriff’s office, the victim’s injuries were so severe that he might never fully recover.
Due to the severity of the victim’s injury, all three teens were charged with felony aggravated battery. They were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center to be processed.
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Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma described the attack as “senseless” and swore to continue taking such acts of on-campus violence seriously.
“That’s why all three teen students are now facing serious felony charges for these acts,” Lemma said in a statement. “This incident ends with a young man with injuries after a brutal attack that cannot and will not be tolerated. It is essential to create a culture of respect within all of our school communities.”
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