The 15-year-old boy who was recorded beating a 9-year-old girl is now charged with battery.
Prosecutors have filed criminal battery charges against him after he was seen repeatedly punching a girl on a school bus in Miami-Dade.
A video recording was uploaded on social media and caused a buzz about extreme bullying on February 1 on a school bus from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Tuesday that the charges would be filed at the juvenile courts.
15-year-old boy charged with battery
NBC reported that the 15-year-old was initially given a civil citation, also known as a written arrest, but Fernandez Rundle said a more serious charge was warranted.
According to the attorney's statement, the video indicated that this beating was significantly more serious than a regular student fight.
Based on the evidence and the circumstances, the court is of the opinion that the use of a civil citation was incompatible with the degree of aggression demonstrated by the 15-year-old offender toward his considerably younger and smaller victim.
Consequently, they have submitted criminal battery charges to the juvenile courts. This means that the proceedings and potential punishment will be handled within the juvenile justice system.
In addition, the officials with Miami-Dade County Public Schools stated that the students involved would face disciplinary action in accordance with the student conduct code.
According to Local 10, the mother of the 9-year-old girl, who wants to be identified only as Jenni, was devastated. She was in tears and crushed after seeing her child being beaten in that manner.
Jenni had said she intended to avoid putting other children in a potentially dangerous situation. It is to ensure that they have the necessary safety precautions in place for the children to prevent this from happening in the future.
She went on to say that her child is not the first to experience this and that it will not be the last if nothing is done. In addition, the mother stated that her goal is to bring about changes at the school on the district level.
Jenni continued to be saddened by it and said it was just deplorable because there were many points along the way where adults could have intervened to prevent this from becoming as severe as it did.
Read Also: Ohio Police Tracks Down Homeschool for Teaching Racist, White Supremacist, Pro-Nazi Lessons
Bullying across the country
In the United States, the juvenile court system handles cases involving minors who are accused of criminal behavior. Juvenile courts have different goals than adult criminal courts and focus on rehabilitation and treatment rather than punishment.
This is also what the mother of the 9-year-old wants to advocate because, with that level of aggression, the boy seems to need professional support and medical help.
Furthermore, the hearing will proceed this week. According to NOLO, if a minor is found guilty in juvenile court, they may be placed in a juvenile detention center or rehabilitation program instead of jail.
The length of time they spend in these facilities depends on the crime's severity and the case's individual circumstances. However, in some cases, minors may be transferred to adult criminal court and face adult criminal penalties, including the possibility of serving time in jail.
