13-Year-Old Girl Beaten On School Bus By Seven Students, Left Unconscious

A 13-year-old female student was beaten so badly by seven students between the ages of 12 and 15 that she was left unconscious on the school bus Friday morning, the Ocala Star-Banner reports. The teens are students at Liberty Middle School in Ocala, Fla.

The victim was taken to a hospital where she was treated for a concussion, "severe bruising" on her head and muscle spasms.

According to the report, Deputy Larry McArdle interviewed the victim, who said it was her first day riding the bus and none of the children would let her sit down. She went on to tell McArdle that someone thew a shoe at her and, when she threw it back, she was attacked by several students.

The bus driver noticed the fighting and stopped the bus, the Associated Press reports, but the fight began again as soon as the driver continued his route. He called authorities once they arrived at school.

Orlando's WKMG interviewed one of the suspect's mothers, Bessie Coleman, who told the station she is sorry for the girl's injuries, but that she believes the fight started because the victim was making "racial comments."

The teens -- whose names, along with that of the victim, are not being released -- have been charged with battery and disorderly conduct.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post stated the children attend Marion Oaks Elementary School, this is not true. We regret the error, and the post has been changed.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Brenda Trott]

02:32 PM on 02/10/2012

This has GOT TO STOP! We need more adults on the school bus. Please sign this petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/department-of-homeland-security-require-an-adult-other-than-the-driver-on-occupied-school-buses

[Solarluna]

12:44 PM on 05/04/2012

The time period for signing this petition has ended.

[JAndra Antisdel]

06:46 PM on 01/28/2012

That's funny. Everyone thought this was a black white issue. All the kids were white. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1jd2GH3ZGw

[millebocca]

10:38 AM on 02/23/2012

so not true.
here is local news report

http://www.wftv.com/news/ap/crime/deputies-7-ocala-teens-arrested-school-bus-beating/nGHbD/

[JCA07]

01:53 PM on 05/04/2012

I don't know, with names like Alphonso, Ladricka, and Lamiracle I'm sure they're all white.

[Solarluna]

12:46 PM on 05/04/2012

That's funny. You posted a deleted video.

[brahms]

05:08 PM on 01/12/2012

And yet whites will again vote for Obama - who's AG, Eric holder, refuses to prosecute black panthers who hold clubs at voting precincts and who states that hate crime laws do not apply to whites.

[brahms]

05:06 PM on 01/12/2012

Yet whites will still vote for Obama. Who's AG refused to prosecute Black Panthers who held clubs at a voting station and who says that hate crime laws to not apply to whites. Wake up!

[brahms]

04:25 PM on 01/12/2012

I see the video has been taken down

[White Wolf 2]

07:06 PM on 01/10/2012

Another blessing from the people that brought you Multiculturalism and DIE-versity!

Coming to a neighborhood near you...sooner than you think!

[urface]

06:00 PM on 01/09/2012

race card!
gender card!

you would think they were playing magic the freakin gathering...

Seriously, how many more decades do we have to put up with this BS?

[Dale Yeager]

05:19 PM on 01/09/2012

Congressional School Safety Expert Says Marion County, Florida School Bus Beating Evidence Of http://tinyurl.com/7b9cnu8

[Escalonz]

01:22 PM on 01/09/2012

The thirty years of the dirty war that no one wants to admit to.
http://civilisationis.com/usa/racewar.htm

[jj2301]

12:39 PM on 01/09/2012

Sorry. You really can't excuse 7 kids ganging up on and beating someone unconscious, regardless of what *words* were said.

[broui]

12:09 PM on 01/09/2012

"Bessie Coleman, who told the station she is sorry for the girl's injuries, but that she believes the fight started because the victim was making "racial comments.""


But. But. As if the "racial comments" excused SEVEN people jumping this kid. But. We're a society with a serious illness. "BUT" is a symptom. We explain away too much. Far too much.

This kind of thing should NEVER get explained away with a "BUT".

[Yam716]

12:33 PM on 01/10/2012

Agreed.

[megandvc]

04:22 PM on 01/10/2012

Why do you think these kids are the way they are? Parents like THAT!!!!

[broui]

04:40 PM on 01/10/2012

Been a teacher for 12 years. I spend more time undoing the damage parents like these do than teach my subject (or at least it feels that way).

What troubles me most is that the system that I work in enables these parents. We fear them.

The lunatics are taking over the asylum.

[Gary Ball]

10:46 AM on 01/09/2012

If it were 7 white kids beating a black kid unconscious, Obama and Holder would trip over each other to file hate crime charges. Do you think they will file hate crime charges against these 7 black kids? No, of course not. Holder is on record as saying he does not believe white people are covered under these laws. It's racism; pure and simple. Until black racism is confronted, I don't want to hear another word about white racism. Because if I do, it will fall on deaf ears.

[YankeeCanuck]

06:57 PM on 01/12/2012

I had no idea from the story that's what happened. I doesn't matter who injured whom. Those students who engaged in violence will have to answer for their actions. It was an unpleasant confrontation that escalated into violence. Sounds like everybody involved, including the parents need some schooling. Kids need to learn that there is no excuse whatsoever for violence --even if someone escalates the situation with insults or verbal aggression. We don't know for sure that is what happened here. Still, violence solves nothing.

[Swinger Style]

10:21 AM on 01/09/2012

The fact is a young teen was beaten unconscious....By seven teens...Did it really take all that? I pray the young lady is recoverying well and those that attacked her I pray justice will be served..

The so called mom who made that comment...You are wrong, dead wrong..what are you justifying? I see what poor parenting skills you have.......

Let one of my kids try something like that.. We will both be sitting in jail after a good Alabama down home ass beating from me..Spare the rod? Beat that ass no rod need to be spared. Matter of fact, I'm thankful for my mother for extending that rod.....

[bcreep123]

05:09 PM on 01/09/2012

prayers dont heal injuries.

[Kevin Rayburn]

11:21 PM on 01/09/2012

actually there was a study in the new england journal of medicine about 10 or so years ago that indicated that prayers do help patients by speeding up recovery, it could be diving intervention or psycosymatic improvement because your brain does control your body, but either way the study did indicate that prayer DOES help.

[F RIO]

06:09 AM on 01/11/2012

lol these types of animals only act in pacts so they always can be sure they can control the situation,they never attack one on one,always defensless older ppl or a single person,,but with blks its never a hate crime like with all other ethnic groups,and they know the courts will let them go,courts are the reason,they never will make blks responsible for their actions,its not politically correct if you do

[Swinger Style]

12:02 AM on 01/12/2012

Interesting,

[YankeeCanuck]

07:00 PM on 01/12/2012

People are not animals.They are held accountable for their actions. These kids committed a criminal act, attacking someone violently. They will have to answer for it. Perfect or not,the law applies to everyone and they are not above it. Nor should their parents in any way excuse it.
Nor should we call them animals and use this case as a forum for anger.

[usmarine32yr]

10:16 AM on 01/09/2012

Our public schools are out of control . We need to do away with public schools , if you have to pay for your kid to go to school ,you take a lot more interest in what's going on .

[broui]

12:10 PM on 01/09/2012

If you think this has anything to do with public schools, you're delusional.

This has everything to do with parenting - or the lack thereof.

[brahms]

04:24 PM on 01/12/2012

Black parenting

[queckie1]

05:26 PM on 01/09/2012

Our "public schools " are not "out of control".. its only a certain ..group of American kids that are out of control.. guess which group of kids????????

[Yam716]

12:37 PM on 01/10/2012

Don't make this about 'groups' of kids (we know what you mean).

This is about American children across the board being insensitive to violence and causing harm to one another. This is about parents NOT PARENTING THEIR CHILDREN or teaching them tolerance. This is about violent video games raising our American children...this is about babies having babies...this is about so much more then your brain can even handle, so you try to simplify a very complicated problem...and fail.

[clb7768]

10:03 AM on 01/09/2012

Believe what you want, mom. How about instead of making excuses for your child, you teach them to use their words as a weapon instead of their hands. If that girl got hit the wrong way and died, then all those children would be guilty of murder. I'm so tired of people, espeically young people, using violence to solve things. When will people learn OR teach, that words are just words, and walking away practically never results in awful mistakes, suspension, expulsion, jail time, a track record, etc etc...