Matanzas High School student arrested for punching school resource officer: deputies
Student accused of punching deputy in the face
A 16-year-old student at Matanzas High School has been arrested for punching a School Resource Officer in the face. The deputy said he was trying to break up a different fight when this happened. The teen was released to his parents after he was booked.
PALM COAST, Fla. - A Matanzas High School student was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly punching a school resource deputy while the deputy was trying to break up a fight between the 16-year-old student and another boy. The student now faces a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer, authorities said.
What happened?
What we know:
On April 2, just before 3 p.m., as students were being dismissed, two boys began fighting at the bottom of a stairwell.
School Resource Deputy John Landi, who was about 12 feet away when the fight broke out, told the students to stop, but they did not listen and continued fighting, according to the Flager County Sheriff's Office.
The deputy was punched in the face by one of the boys after placing himself in between the students to break up the fight, officials said. The deputy was not hurt.
The student was treated at school for an eye injury from the fight, then taken to a hospital for clearance. He was later taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and handed over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, who released him to his parents, authorities said.
‘Parents, please be the Sheriff in your home’
What they're saying:
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence in our schools, and I commend our School Resource Deputies for their swift action getting this fight under control before it had a chance to escalate further," Sheriff's Rick Staly said in a statement.
"Parents, please be the Sheriff in your home," Staly added. "Teach your children how to handle disagreements without fighting and teach them that battering a Deputy Sheriff will get you arrested every time."
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office on April 4, 2025.