A group of Florida teens is facing serious charges after allegedly ambushing a man at a car wash and beating him so badly that he was left with a broken jaw, a shattered nose, and deep facial lacerations.
The brutal assault happened late Monday night, May 5, around 11:40 p.m. in Mulberry, a town in Polk County. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, four teens—three of them adults—attacked 35-year-old Juan Ramos with what authorities described as “sickening rage,” claiming they were defending an autistic friend.
“They jumped on him like a bunch of pack animals,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press briefing. “They beat him without mercy.”
Ramos was reportedly speaking with someone at a local car wash on North Church Avenue when the group rushed him. He told NBC affiliate WFLA from his hospital bed: “Next thing I know, I’m getting pounded. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Charged in the case are Eathan Simmons, 18, and Westlee Davis II, 18—both facing attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, rioting, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Nineteen-year-old Dalton Creach faces rioting and contributing charges as well. A 17-year-old involved is also expected to be charged as an adult with attempted murder and other felonies.
Authorities say Ramos, who admitted he was intoxicated and on probation at the time, initially didn’t report the incident. It was his wife who eventually called police. When detectives followed up, they urged Ramos to come forward to ensure the attackers would be held accountable.
Photos released by the sheriff’s office show Ramos hospitalized with extensive swelling and bandages on his face. Cellphone footage of the incident, which has not been publicly released, was described by Sheriff Judd as “animalistic” and “horrible.”
“You can’t believe people would treat another human being this way,” Judd said.
As of Friday, authorities were still working to identify the autistic friend the teens claimed they were defending. Ramos maintains he was merely having a conversation about a car before the attack began.
“No matter what the circumstances were, that’s not how we treat people in a free society,” Judd said. “That conduct’s not acceptable in Polk County.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
Nice kids. Their parents must be proud. Their lives are ruined now, and I don’t feel sorry for them at all. If they are behaving like this at this age, I am sure they will be doing worse when they are older. For now, they used their fists, so what comes next? Guns, knives? All they had to do was tell the man who upset them so much, to shut up, and stop making fun of their friend. (If that is what happened) But no, they decided to beat him up to no end. Animals, thats what they are, animals….