The athlete's family denied original claims that he didn't want to press charges
The family of an athlete who suffered a brutal sucker punch during a high school track meet has confirmed that he is looking into suing the attacker.
A clip of the young man receiving a hit from behind mid-race went viral on Twitter after the weekend and has been seen more than three million times.
Contrary to original claims by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, however, the victim did want to press charges but was left with his hands tied as doing so would mean that the victim himself could also be booked for battery after previously pushing his attacker.
"The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges. This is false," said the victim's attorney from the Florida Firm, Nathan Carter, to TMZ.
"The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people," Carter continued.
"[But] the OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery. Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges," Carter confirmed, before revealing that the victim suffered a concussion from the attack and is therefore "exploring civil remedies against all those responsible."
The incident is alleged to have occurred after the attacker was stood on the track at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational on Saturday in Kissimmee, around half an hour south of Orlando, during the 1,600m race.
The victim, in white, was circling the track while leading the race and allegedly first yelled at the attacker in black, who wasn't taking part, to move and get out of the way. When he refused, the victim pushed his eventual attacker out of the way on the next lap which caused the attacker to run after the victim and then deliver his blow.
"If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this," Carter claimed.
"They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him," Carter suggested.
"They had many opportunities to prevent this and failed to do so," Carter concluded.
The incident is the second in recent months in American high school sports after a player in Iowa was arrested for administering a brutal sucker punch during ceremonial handshakes following his Carlisle High School Wildcats team's 72-47 defeat against the Nevada High School Cubs.
The November attack came from the front on this occasion, with the arrested party delivering a one-two KO combo beginning with his victim's stomach before others wrestled him to the ground.
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