Parents of High School Track Star Sucker-Punched During Race Are Considering Lawsuit
Matt McNulty, Daily Mail, April 2, 2022
The family of a high school track star who was sucker-punched during a race say they had wanted to press charges against his attacker but deputies had threatened to arrest their son if they’d done so.
Now, the family is considering filing a civil lawsuit against the other student and the track invitation event that hosted the race, their attorney says.
Shocking video of the attack during the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee last Saturday captured the incident as a pack of runners coming down the track in the 1,600-meter race when a teen comes up from behind and punches the athlete in the lead in the back of the head.
High school track race fight club pic.twitter.com/0nbDRz5Iur
— Baseball Fight Club (@mlb_fights) March 29, 2022
The runner goes down and stays on the ground as the rest of the team run past. His family’s attorney, Nathan Carter, revealed the teen suffered a concussion following the attack.
There was allegedly an altercation before the attack, where the victim had told the attacker to move out of his way. When he refused, during an earlier lap, the victim had pushed him, according to TMZ.
At the time, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office claimed that the victim, who has not been identified, had not wanted to press charges, but his family have disputed that claim, with their attorney telling the outlet that their son would have been arrested for battery had they filed criminal charges.
‘The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges,’ Carter said in a statement.
‘This is false.’
‘The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery.’
‘Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges.’
Now, Carter states the family is ‘exploring civil remedies against all those responsible.’
‘If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this,’ Carter added.
‘They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him.’
‘They had many opportunities to prevent this and failed to do so.’
Video of the event showed the stunned response of spectators after the punch was thrown.
‘Are you f***ing kidding me?!’ one person could be heard saying repeatedly while others simply screamed in horror.
The Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee invites athletes from 27 schools to compete
Event organizers have not yet commented on the incident.
