A group of teens in Florida beat a man “senseless” last week, jumping on him “like a bunch of pack animals” and pummeling him repeatedly “with a sickening rage,” police officials say.
The alleged attack unfolded Monday, May 5, at around 11:40 p.m. in Polk County, with cops reporting that the four teens, three of whom are over 18 and being charged as adults, told authorities they assaulted the victim because he was “bothering an autistic friend” of theirs, according to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Juan Ramos, 35, told police he was talking to a man at a Mulberry car wash on North Church Avenue when the group allegedly set upon him.
“Next thing I know, I’m getting pounded,” Ramos recalled to NBC affiliate WFLA from his hospital bed.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.
The teens charged as adults have been identified by police as Eathan Simmons, 18, and Westlee Davis II, 18, who are both charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery with bodily harm, rioting, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and Dalton Creach, 19, is charged with rioting and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Cops have requested that a 17-year-old who was allegedly involved be charged as an adult with attempted murder, aggravated battery with bodily harm, rioting, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to PCSO officials, Ramos admitted to being intoxicated during the incident and on probation, which caused him to not report what allegedly happened at first. His wife wound up being the one who called cops, with detectives then asking that he come forward to cooperate and help put the teens behind bars.
“They beat him without mercy,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd at a Friday press briefing. “Jumped on him like a bunch of pack animals.”
Ramos suffered serious injuries to his face as a result of the alleged beating, including a broken nose, broken jaw, multiple lacerations and swelling. The sheriff’s office released an image of him from the hospital showing the severity of his injuries, along with cellphone footage of the alleged incident.
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“I’m going to share with you something that is animalistic,” Judd told reporters, in reference to the video footage. “It’s horrible. You can’t believe in today’s society that people will care so little for another human being.”
Judd said that police were working to identify the autistic friend who the teens were allegedly defending, but investigators had yet to do so as of Friday. Ramos allegedly told authorities that he was simply talking to a person about their car when the teens attacked him.
Judd said that no matter the circumstances, no one should be allegedly beaten in the way that Ramos was. “In a free society, we don’t treat people like that,” the sheriff concluded. “That conduct’s not acceptable in Polk County.”
