Video: Florida Man Knocks Teenage Girl Unconscious, Grabs Her by the Hair During Basketball Fight
Florida police are investigating after an adult man was caught on camera punching a teenage girl on the head during a brawl at a basketball game last week.
A massive fight broke out last Wednesday at Washington Park Community Center on Pembroke Road in Hollywood. The 17-year-old victim, a senior at Miramar High School, was playing in a heated game against Plantation private school American Heritage, WPLG reported.
In footage of the chaos, the teenager, wearing a blue uniform, is seen being grabbed by the hair and knocked to the floor in the middle of the court as several adults rush into frame.
"All of a sudden, from behind me, this big guy who I have never seen before, he grabbed me by the head, he cocks his arm all the way back and he hits me," the student told WPLG, noting that she blacked out from the force of the full punch, which seemingly came from a parent who was attending.
According to WSVN, the basketball game had ended early due to rising tensions between the players, but a brawl erupted after girls from the opposing team stormed back onto the court and lashed out.
Law enforcement officials from the Hollywood Police Department have said the man in the cell phone footage has since been identified but the probe remains ongoing. The case is expected to be forwarded to the state attorney's office, which will then determine if criminal charges will be pursued.
The man had already left the scene when Hollywood Police responded last week. One relative of the victim expressed shock that the man became involved at all.
"How do you think you would react if someone hit your niece, someone probably big enough to do damage to you, to a little child like that?" her uncle, Shemar Adams, told WPLG. "If I was a parent in that situation, I would've been trying to get my two children off of that court."
"I would have been trying to get out of there. But instead, he grabs another minor and he hits them with full force," he added. The man who threw the punch has not yet been named.
The 17-year-old basketball player, who says her family wants to press charges, said her attacker needs to face "major consequences" for his violent outburst.
"I feel like, as a parent or as an adult, you should be mature enough to be able to stop a fight or try to break up a fight rather than choosing to hit another student, and a female at that," she told WSVN. The teen went to hospital but was not seriously injured. "I'm glad I'm okay," she said.
