Officials: 3 Fl teens charged in attack on friend
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) – Three Sarasota teens have been charged with kidnapping and aggravated battery after authorities say they violently attacked their friend, apparently because they thought he’d told police about a crime they had committed.
The 17-year-old victim said he was at Southeast High School on Tuesday when three friends threatened to beat him if he didn’t walk with them to a vacant home.
The teen eventually complied. Once inside, he said the trio began beating him with their fists, metal pipes and a belt, according to a police report.
The victim told the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office he was also forced to stand naked in a shower while he was kicked. One of the suspects, a teenage girl, allegedly egged the other two on, he told authorities.
The victim eventually escaped through a window and asked a neighbor to call police. He was transported to Manatee Memorial Hospital for examination. The teenager had bruises and cuts to his face and body.
The teen told authorities the suspects beat him because they thought he’d told police they’d tried breaking into a home the day before. Sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow said the suspects had wanted him to participate in the crime.
“He didn’t want to, and they were upset about that,” Bristow added.
The victim told the teens he hadn’t snitched, but said they beat him anyway.
“I think it’s a classic case of bullying,” Bristow said.
The three teens were all arrested and charged in the beating.
The Associated Press is not naming the suspects because of their age.