WESTON, Fla. – Rumors involving a boy prompted a Tequesta Trace Middle School student to beat up a teenage girl in the back of the Weston Town Center mall, according to a report the Broward Sheriff's Office released Tuesday.
A mob of teenagers surrounded the girls, and there were no adults to intervene during the savage attack. Deputies said the attacker used her hands, fist, feet and teeth. After watching the video, the victim's mother said she felt sick.
"You really must dislike someone a lot to be that brutal," her mother said.
The victim's family is upset because, despite the irrefutable evidence of the attack, the attacker will not be facing criminal charges.
The Feb. 2 beating at 1825 Market St. was recorded and published on Snapchat. The 13-year-old victim tried to get away, but deputies said the student pulled her hair, threw her down on the floor and mounted her. She slammed her head on concrete several times.
The beating resulted in a hematoma the size of a golf ball on the back of her head, a bump on her left temple from being kicked and swelling on her nose and bottom lip. The girl hasn't been back to school and remains afraid for her safety.
Authorities decided to issue the perpetrator a juvenile civil citation and the State Attorney's Office did not accept the case for criminal prosecution.