FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A penalty play on the football field ended with a player behind bars.
The incident occurred during a playoff matchup in North Florida that turned ugly within seconds.
Video circulating on social media shows an 18-year-old high school football player near Jacksonville ripping off another player’s helmet and then using it as a weapon.
Footage captures the moment the 18-year-old swings the helmet, hitting the 15-year-old victim in the head.
A mother who was watching the game immediately ran toward the injured teen.
“I was shocked. I was shocked. I was angry. I was concerned,” said Reather Bennett. “He was bleeding from the side of his face, and he was very quiet. He wasn’t like angry. I think he was just still, like, it was adrenaline and still in shock.”
Bennett said her son has played with the victim since kindergarten, and he’s been traumatized ever since the incident on the field.
“He literally kept saying, ‘Fred didn’t do anything to deserve that, Mom. He didn’t do anything to deserve that,’ and he’s hurt for his friend,” said Bennett.
Moments after, referees and coaches jumped in fast, but investigatiors with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office said multiple fights broke out on and off the field.
“People have, you know, compared it to the NFL player incident. I don’t think it’s no comparison at all. It was a violent act,” said Bennett.
Deputies arrested Daniel Byers on Tuesday, a few days after the incident. He faces a battery charge.
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