Tom GantertKissimmee, FL – A high school track meet went viral after cell phone video captured the moment that a teen who was not even in the race attacked the first-place runner from behind and knocked him out of the running (video below).
The incident occurred on March 26 during the 1,600-meter race at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee, TMZ reported.
Witnesses said the athlete in the black uniform was not in the race but was standing in the way of runners during the first lap.
The runner in the red-and-white uniform told him to get out of the way, according to TMZ.
On the next lap, the teen in the black uniform continued to block the path of the first-place runner and that boy shoved him, according to witnesses.
That was when the boy in the black uniform chased down the runner who shoved him and punched him in the side of the head, cell phone videos filmed at the race showed.
Video showed the attacker jumped into the air with his fist raised and struck the athlete in the red-and-white uniform in the head from behind.
The runner dropped to the pavement and didn’t get back up after he was struck.
He did not finish the race, according to TMZ.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were on duty at the event and responded to the incident on the track.
The sheriff’s department claimed that neither side wanted to press charges, but TMZ reported the runner’s family said that wasn’t exactly what happened.
“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,” attorney Nathan Carter said. “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 explained.
Prosecutors later told the New York Post that the sheriff’s deputy was mistaken and that authorities were still looking into the incident.
Carter said the boy who was attacked suffered a concussion as a result of it, TMZ reported.
He said the family is considering a lawsuit.
“If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this,” the attorney told TMZ.
“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,” Carter explained.
“They had many opportunities to prevent this and failed to do so,” he added.
An official with the Orange County Public Schools told TMZ they were cooperating with the Florida High School Athletic Association to try to determine if there would be any discipline over the incident.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. WARNING – Graphic Content, Obscene Language:
Dude? pic.twitter.com/8AocHd1Yha
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 30, 2022
Holly Matkin
