A 20-year-old student at Mount Dora High School was arrested after he reportedly body slammed a younger classmate during a lunchtime fight.
Jeremy Miguel Pena-Colon, of 350 Lincoln Ave., was charged with felony battery after the incident, which happened shortly before noon Friday on the lunch patio of the school, located at 700 N. Highland St.
The school resource officer from the Mount Dora Police Department responded to the lunch patio and saw Pena-Colon walking around agitated and shirtless. The 14-year-old victim was on the ground. The principal said the victim had hit his head on the cement. Pena-Colon was escorted to the office by school staff while the officer called Lake County EMS and Mount Dora Fire Rescue, according to the police report.
While waiting for rescue personnel to arrive, the officer spoke with the victim, who said he wasn’t sure what happened. The victim said he remembered being in the air and then waking up on the ground. He had issues spelling his last name and was unable to say what month it was. He was able to answer the day of the week and the name of the president, but he was not sure of his answers, the report said.
The victim kept asking the same questions multiple times. He said he thought his collar bone was broken and kept asking staff if they thought it was broken. Lake County EMS personnel suggested the victim be taken to Arnold Palmer Children’s hospital for evaluation. Before being taken away, the victim said an unknown object was thrown in his vicinity. He said he threw an apple slice that struck Pena-Colon in the head. The victim said he and Pena-Colon exchanged words before Pena-Colon picked him up. He said he believed he was kicked in the head multiple times after landing on the ground. The officer observed he had minor scrapes, according to the report.
An assistant principal who was supervising lunch told the officer he heard a commotion in the back left corner of the patio. He said he looked over and saw Pena-Colon pick up the victim and forcefully slam him on the ground. He said the victim landed on his left shoulder and head, the report said.
The school principal said when she arrived at the patio, the victim was unconscious. She said he regained consciousness fairly quickly but was extremely confused. The principal said Pena-Colon told her he was hit with an apple slice and asked the victim if he was the one who threw it. The victim said yes, and Pena-Colon went over and was just going to hit the victim a few times. Pena-Colon said the victim grabbed his hoodie, so Pena-Colon picked him up and slammed him on the ground, according to the report.
The officer went to the principal’s office and told Pena-Colon to stand up and put his hands behind his back. Pena-Colon was shaking when he stood up and said, “you aren’t putting those on me,” referring to the handcuffs. The officer said Pena-Colon squared up and tensed his fists. The officer requested additional units, Pena-Colon was able to be talked to and calmed down before they arrived, the report said.
Pena-Colon was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released later that evening on $5,000 bond. He will appear in Lake County Court on June 13.
