3 girls accused of attacking middle school security guard
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. March 2 2018– Three girls accused of beating a security guard who was trying to break up a fight between two boys Tuesday at Lake Shore Middle School were arrested and charged with battery on a school employee, according to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reports.
Officers said that, in the process of breaking up a fight in the school’s courtyard, security guard Jimmy Hundley, 25, fell to the ground, where he was kicked and punched by several students. He was not seriously injured.
“I tried to be casual and keep my composure and stay ahead of my job and actually do my job,” Hundley told News4Jax. “I’m trying to do better for the kids, not punish the kids.”
The arrest report said the attack was witnessed by Coach James Taylor, who helped with crowd control during the incident and said he saw two of the girls repeatedly punch Hundley, both while he was standing and while he was on the ground.
Hundley said he was able to return to work the next day.
“No blood clots, no busted lips or missing teeth,” he said.
The reports named several other witnesses who identified one or more of the girls who were arrested.
Michael DeSanto, who lives down the street and whose grandson attended the school, told News4Jax that the climate at Lake Shore Middle has changed. He said his grandson was bullied.
“Those kids need to be put away. Put them in jail,” DeSanto said. “You’ll lock an adult up if he assaults somebody. Lock the kids up. Let them see what’s it’s like.”
The school is no stranger to violence. According to the Florida Department of Education, in the 2015-16 school year there were nearly 300 incidents investigated at Lake Shore Middle, including:
167 physical attacks
185 fighting incidents
2 battery incidents
1 campus disruption
10 cases of drug use
1 bullying incident
Last September, a 15-year-old Lake Shore Middle student was stabbed at the school. Earlier this year, there was a brawl between female students in the cafeteria.
DeSanto said he hopes administrators can get a handle on the problem.
“It’s a good school. You do have a lot of kids in there who really want to learn. Then you have the bad kids who don’t care about anything,” DeSanto said. “Get rid of them.”
When asked about Tuesday’s incident, Duval County Public Schools sent a statement:
“We have no tolerance for violence in our schools and will not accept individuals physically attacking adults or other students,” DCPS spokeswoman Laureen Ricks said.
