A Miami-Dade student has been arrested after video surfaced of a young girl being beaten on a school bus, authorities said.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade County Public Schools said it was aware of the video and that the offender, who has not been identified, will be charged in the Wednesday attack. The school district also said it will be pursing discipline of other students seen fighting in the video.
The students involved in the fight were from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead.
“The safety and well-being of our students is of the utmost importance,” MDCPS said in a statement. ”This school district goes to great lengths to promote the values of restraint and respect as well as using social media responsibly. We ask that parents reinforce these principles at home.”
Around 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was called to treat two juveniles near 24400 SW 124th Ave. The children weren’t taken to the hospital and were released to their parents, fire rescue said.
The 18-second fight video has been shared thousands of times and amassed over 5 million views.
It started on a crowded school bus with a fight breaking out in the aisle. A large boy walked over to a sitting girl and began pummeling the back of her head, video showed. She wrapped her arm around her head trying to defend against the blows. A smaller student joined in on hitting the girl as a boy comes from behind to restrain the larger boy from hitting the girl.
Another fight also began behind them but is mostly obscured by bus seats and students.
One mother, identified only as Jenni, told Herald News Partner CBS Miami that it was her 9-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son who were assaulted.
“Emotionally, I couldn’t even last two minutes. I couldn’t look at the video,” she told the station. “Like any mother, I am destroyed. I fell to my knees and at that moment I said I have to do something.”
She said her children have been bullied at Coconut Palm K-8 Academy and had only been enrolled for three weeks. While her daughter and son were physically OK, she told the station they both are traumatized.
This story was originally published February 03, 2023 4:41 PM.
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