Man hospitalized after attack by group of teens near Anna Maria Island school, police say
A Holmes Beach man was attacked and seriously injured by a group of teenagers while walking his dog with his 10-year-old niece Wednesday evening, police said Friday.
It happened at 9 p.m. near the campus of Anna Maria Elementary School, 4700 Gulf Drive.
A 41-year-old man from Holmes Beach was walking near the school’s campus when he saw a group of teens “drinking and possibly vandalizing” the school, Holmes Beach Police Department said in a press release.
He yelled at the group to stop and asked them to move along from the school’s campus, police said, then the teens “became aggressive” and started to come toward him.
The man began to fear for his safety and pulled out a pocket knife to scare off the group, the release said.
Several of the male teens in the group started to attack and knocked him to the ground. He was hit in the head with a wooden object which could have possibly been a skateboard.
They punched and kicked him in the face and head repeatedly until he was unconscious, police said.
The group then drove away in a white Kia Sportage.
The man was transported to Blake Hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries, and he is now in stable condition.
The niece witnessed the attack and was uninjured, Lt. Brian Hall told the Bradenton Herald.
Holmes Beach police have identified several of the teen suspects and the investigation is still ongoing.
If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Detective Fleischer at: fleischerj@holmesbeach.org or 941-708-5800 ext. 270. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Manatee County Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS and be eligible for an award.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 2:29 PM.
