Legal News for Florida Criminal Attorneys. A middle school student was in ‘extremely critical’ condition after being beaten by a high school student.
Florida criminal lawyer alerts- Teen faces charges of attempted murder after beating a Deerfield Beach Middle School girl, leaving her in critical condition.
Deerfield Beach, FL—An eighth grade girl was brutally attacked by a ninth grade boy at her middle school on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, leaving her with traumatic injuries. The suspect involved in the incident was arrested and reportedly faces charges of attempted murder, according to information provided by the Sun-Sentinel.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) spokesperson Mike Jachles allegedly reported that students in attendance at Deerfield Beach Middle School were released just prior to the 2:49 p.m. incident, which occurred at the school bus loop. According to 12-year-old witness, Jephthe St. Fleur, the suspect, identified as 15-year-old Wayne Tracy, apparently ran up to 15-year-old Josie Lou Ratley and immediately punched her in the face, seemingly knocking her to the ground where she seemed to be unconscious. Tracy then proceeded to “smash her head on the pavement”, violently kick the teen and reportedly stomp on her head with his steel-toe boots. The aggressive encounter only came to an end when a teacher arrived at the scene to pull Tracy off of Ratley.
Emergency medical services (EMS) crews responded to the school to airlift Ratley to Broward General Medical Center via medical helicopter. Her condition was reportedly deemed to be “extremely critical” and remained that way as of Thursday morning. Police deputies took Tracy into custody after the horrifying incident. He was to appear in court on Thursday.
Reporters allegedly responded to the suspect’s home Thursday morning, where a man who identified himself as Tracy’s stepfather allegedly angrily stated, “Why are you guys making my son out to be a monster? You think he actually planed to go and do that?” The unidentified man also noted that the suspect had apparently received text messages from Ratley, in which she reportedly teased him regarding the death of one of his family members, prior to the in-school attack. Investigations are expected to be underway.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for Florida Criminal Lawyers.