Prosecutors file felony charge after 11-year-old is beaten at Nautilus Middle School

Miami-Dade prosecutors have filed a second-degree felony aggravated battery charge against a student accused of punching an 11-year-old girl repeatedly in the face at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach in late September, Local 10 News reported Tuesday, citing the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

This story is based on Local 10’s report, which Red Sidewalks has not independently confirmed. Red Sidewalks is not naming either student, both of whom are minors.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, the case was first sent to a juvenile diversion program as a misdemeanor battery. Prosecutors then filed the felony charge after the girl’s mother asked for prosecution and after they weighed the girl’s injuries, the office told Local 10. The girl suffered a concussion. The station said video of the incident shows her being hit repeatedly before someone stepped in.

The case is scheduled for a juvenile court hearing, known as a sounding, at 9 a.m. Thursday. The State Attorney’s Office said it has stayed in touch with the girl’s mother as the case moves through juvenile court.

The school’s response

Miami-Dade County Public Schools said in a statement to Local 10 that staff had met with the students involved before the incident to try to calm the conflict. When the fight happened, school administrators and Miami-Dade Schools Police responded. The district said the matter “was addressed in accordance with the code of student conduct and referred to law enforcement.”

An attorney for the girl’s family told Local 10 that the school failed to protect her and alleged that school officials had been warned an attack was coming. The district’s statement, as reported by Local 10, did not address that claim. The girl’s mother told the station her daughter has not returned to school since the incident.

Red Sidewalks will update this story after Thursday’s hearing.