MELBOURNE, Fla. – Police have recommended misdemeanor charges against three girls who allegedly beat up a 12-year-old girl in a videotaped attack that has circulated on the Internet.
The alleged victim, now 13, filed a police report Jan. 27 and named her attackers after she saw the video on a local news channel. The video, shot Dec. 31, shows one teenage girl fighting the alleged victim. Within seconds, two other girls enter the scene and begin beating her.
Melbourne police recommended misdemeanor battery charges be filed against the three, police spokeswoman Jill Frederiksen said.
A decision on whether charges are filed could take two weeks, Lynne Bumpus-Hooper, a spokeswoman for the state attorney's office, said Thursday.
Authorities said the then-12-year-old girl appeared to be dominating the fight until the other girls — ages 13 to 16 —joined the brawl, which lasted about four minutes. She suffered minor injuries, including a few cuts and bruises on her cheek and head, police said.
The Associated Press is not releasing the names of the girls involved in the fight because they are minors.
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