After a high school runner in a 1600 meter race was sucker-punched from behind and knocked to the ground by another athlete in the middle of the race at a Florida high school track meet, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office reportedly claimed neither side wanted to press charges.
But now the attorney for the runner who was sucker-punched has countered that report, saying the reason the runner did not press charges was because he was told he would be arrested for battery. Reports stated that the athlete had blocked the runner by standing on the track prior to the sucker-punching incident and the runner had pushed him out of the way. Attorney Nathan Carter stated, as TMZ reported:
The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges. This is false. The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery. Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges.
Carter said his client suffered a concussion and is “exploring civil remedies against all those responsible,” adding, “If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this. They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him. … They had many opportunities to prevent this and failed to do so.”
“Witnesses say the runner in first place yelled at the athlete in black to move … but when the next lap came around, the guy appeared to purposely get in the way of the runner by standing on the track,” TMZ reported. “According to witnesses, the runner in first then pushed the athlete in black to get him out of the way. In response, the athlete chased down the runner and punched him from behind.”
The incident occurred at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee, The New York Post reported. “Witnesses claim the athlete in a black uniform was standing on the track as the runner in white and red was circling around and leading the pack,” TMZ stated, adding, “We’re told law enforcement and the Florida High School Athletic Association were notified of the incident.”