14-year-old sucker-punched Florida deputy in head and got smacked back, report says

A 14-year-old boy is accused of sucker-punching a Florida sheriff’s deputy in the head, and the deputy punched him back when the teen resisted arrest, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect is one of two teens accused of assaulting deputies at the Lee County Fair in Fort Myers, 130 miles south of Tampa, deputies said.

It happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, when a deputy responded to a disturbance call at the fair and faced a crowd of teens, officials said.

“A male in a black hoodie, covering his face, walked up next to him ... then struck (the deputy) with a closed fist to the left side of the face, hitting his ear and facial area,” an affidavit reports. “At this point, (the deputy) grabbed the subject and escorted the subject to the ground (and) informed the subject he was under arrest for battery of a law enforcement officer.”

It was when the 14-year-old resisted being put in handcuffs that the deputy delivered “a closed handed strike” to the side of his head, the report says.

“Compliance was gained, the subject was handcuffs and force was discontinued,” the affidavit reports.

The teen, who lives in Fort Myers, is charged with battery on an officer and resisting without violence, officials said.

It was during the teen’s arrest that a second deputy reported he was also punched in the face by someone in the crowd. That 17-year-old male continued swinging his fists at the deputy as he was being arrested, the affidavit reports.

The suspect, who lives in Fort Myers, was also charged with battery of an officer and resisting an officer without violence, officials said.

“Due to the subjects being juveniles, their respective parents were notified,” officials said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 7:25 AM with the headline "14-year-old sucker-punched Florida deputy in head and got smacked back, report says."