Dad waits at bus stop for teen accused of fighting son, then attacks him, Florida cops say
A Florida father is accused of waiting at the bus stop for teens that he accused of fighting with his son, then attacking one when they got off the bus, the sheriff’s office said.
The Lakeland dad, 47, was told by a neighbor two boys had “jumped” his son, one a few weeks ago and one on Nov. 6, according to a Nov. 8 news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
He decided to go to their bus stop and wait for the boys to see if they would try and fight with his son again, deputies said.
But instead, when the two boys got off of the bus, the dad confronted them, slapping one 16-year-old across the face, according to the release.
The dad then punched the same boy in the face and in the stomach, deputies said.
A Door Dash driver was dropping off food nearby and saw the man hitting the boy and called the sheriff’s office, according to the release.
The 16-year-old who was attacked had fought with the man’s son a few weeks prior, but the man’s son had not been “jumped,” deputies said.
The boy who had fought with the man’s son on Nov. 6 had already apologized to the man’s son, deputies said, and was left alone when the father attacked.
“It’s understandable that a dad would be upset about his son getting jumped, but waiting at a bus stop to beat-up a kid is not the kind of example you want to be setting for your child,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in the news release.
The father was charged with misdemeanor assault, the sheriff’s office said.
He has a criminal history that includes second-degree murder and aggravated assault deputies said. He’s served six years and 11 months in a Florida state prison.
Lakeland is about 35 miles east of Tampa.
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Dad waits at bus stop for teen accused of fighting son, then attacks him, Florida cops say."
