Harmony High School’s football team will face St. Cloud High with extra security Friday night after the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office investigated a fabricated mass shooting threat purported to be from a student who was jumped by nine attackers last weekend.
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The threat was circulated Friday morning through a text message claiming a shooting would happen at the game. It’s not clear who sent the text, but investigators who spoke to the victim and his family said the threat was false and made “to make the victim look bad,” a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said in a news release.
In response, the game will proceed with the presence of 10 additional deputy sheriffs, K-9 units and mounted patrol along with St. Cloud police officers.
“False reports of a shooting will not be tolerated, and if the suspect is identified, that person will be charged,” the news release said.
The alleged threat comes days after nine students, including two 18-year-olds, were arrested for attacking the victim on Oct. 16 after school let out. The attack began with a 16-year-old punching the victim as the victim tried to open the door to his car, followed by eight more teens who joined the fray.
The victim, apparently targeted after defending another student who had carrots thrown at her in the cafeteria at lunchtime, was taken to the hospital, where he received 11 stitches to close his facial wounds, according to an arrest affidavit.
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“Let me be completely clear to every student attending school in Osceola County: if you put your hands on another student, on or off campus, my deputies will arrest you,” Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said in a statement following the arrests. He later added, “The victim did the right thing by standing up for a fellow student who was being bullied. He is the brave one. The nine teens who chose to gang up and use violence against him are cowards.”
Cellphone video of the attack released by the Sheriff’s Office was used to identify the suspects, all charged with aggravated battery and inciting a riot, both felonies.
Bryan Ramirez, one of the 18-year-olds, was released from the Osceola County Jail on a $7,500 bond while Quianelle Reyes-Cintron, who was additionally charged with misdemeanor battery, is since out on an $8,000 bond.
The other suspects, whom the Orlando Sentinel isn’t naming because they are underage, were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
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