11-year-old faces felony charge after school fight caught on camera in Miami Beach

An 11-year-old girl is facing a felony charge after police say she attacked another student at a Miami Beach middle school last month in an incident caught on cellphone video.

The incident happened on Sept. 24 at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach.

According to a Miami-Dade Schools Police incident report, the injured girl was sitting in the school cafeteria when another student approached her, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the floor.

Investigators say the 11-year-old then repeatedly punched the girl and kicked her in the stomach.

Cellphone video obtained by NBC6 shows the altercation, with school staff members stepping in approximately 25 seconds later to separate the students. NBC6 blurred the footage because both girls are minors.

“Nobody’s intervening. Where are the adults?” the injured girl’s mother said while describing the video.

Photos shared with NBC6 show injuries to the girl’s head. Her mother says she also suffered a concussion and has not been able to return to school since the incident.

During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Yery Marrero read the charge against the 11-year-old: one count of aggravated battery, a second-degree felony.

The judge also issued a stay-away order, prohibiting the accused girl from contacting the injured student.

The accused girl appeared virtually in juvenile court Thursday morning alongside her mother. 

The mother of the injured student broke down in tears following the hearing.

“This shouldn’t happen to any kid. This shouldn’t be happening,” the injured girl’s mother told NBC6 outside the courthouse.

Speaking to NBC6 ahead of Thursday’s hearing, the accused girl’s mother acknowledged her daughter’s actions but claimed school officials failed to address an ongoing conflict between the students.

“She’s 11 years old. She made a mistake. I do not condone her actions, but I do hold accountable the school district for not doing anything to resolve this from escalating,” she said.

The mother claims her daughter had been bullied for weeks leading up to the incident and that she repeatedly contacted school officials seeking help.

“This has been going on for weeks and the school failed my daughter and the other child as well,” she said.

In a statement to NBC6, Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed that staff members had met with the students before the incident.

“Prior to the incident, school staff had met with the students involved in an effort to de-escalate the conflict,” the district said.

The district added that school administrators and Miami-Dade Schools Police responded immediately when the altercation occurred.

“The matter was addressed in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct and referred to law enforcement,” the statement continued.

The district said the safety and well-being of students remain its highest priority.

Following Thursday’s hearing, the injured girl’s mother said her daughter remains on medical leave and continues recovering more than a month after the incident.

She questioned how the attack was allowed to happen at school and called for accountability.

“My daughter didn’t do anything to deserve this. This was a brutal attack. And there has to be consequences,” she said.

The accused 11-year-old is no longer attending Nautilus Middle School.

Her trial is scheduled for Dec. 21.