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Student beaten after band concert

The boy's mother says he's the victim of a hate crime.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published December 13, 2006

TAMPA - Deputies say a suspended East Bay High School student attacked another student after a band concert, punching him and using a racial slur.

The incident happened Dec. 5 at 8:30 p.m. after the school band's holiday concert, when a 17-year-old Wimauma boy attacked a 15-year-old Gibsonton boy, striking him several times in the face and head, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

"During the time that he was hitting the victim, he made a racial slur," Carter said.

The victim, who is black, suffered a cut under his eye, Carter said.

The suspect, who is white, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of battery and trespassing on school grounds, she said. He was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

The suspect, also a band student, was already on suspension from school for an earlier incident, Carter said.

His name is withheld by authorities because of his age and the nature of the charge. He will be expelled, Carter said.

The victim's mother spoke to the Times on the condition her name and her son's name would not be used because she feared retaliation against him.

She disputes the Sheriff's Office report, saying four boys, all white, cornered her son and that three punched him, not one. She believes her son is the victim of a hate crime.

"When I spoke with the school, I told them I was going to fight it," she said. "I will make examples. They'll know this is not tolerated. You can't just beat other people's children and call them names, no matter what color they are."

Her son, a sophomore who has played tenor saxophone since sixth grade, is angry about the incident, she said. The teen has been transferred to another school, and his mother wants him to receive counseling.

Schools spokesman Steve Hegarty said he wasn't aware that she wanted school-sponsored counseling for the teen.

"We've accommodated everything she's asked for," he said.

Prosecutors will decide whether a hate crime designation will be added, Carter said.

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 01:19:29]