White privilege has its way once again – this time at the expense of a 12-year-old boy in Florida who was shocked and confused after a 27-year-old man called him the n-word and punched him in the face, knocking out his front teeth. Currently, the grown man who attacked a child is not being charged and is even considering pressing charges against the child for assault.
The 12-year-old, Malikai Villatte, told WFTX-TV the man came up to him and his friends cursing and calling them the n-word before the situation escalated.
“He was screaming at us, cursing at us, calling us the ‘n-word,’ and he came down to the middle of his yard, and I was like, ‘Who are you talking to?’ And he said, ‘Come within arm’s reach and I’ll show you who I’m talking to,’” Villatte said.
The man, who authorities identified as Vincent Cerfalo, claims the group of kids were blocking traffic, and he wanted them to go home. Cerfalo says he was acting in self-defense when he attacked Villatte.
“I told them to back off and if they come on my property I’m going to defend myself. They said, ‘You won’t hit us, you won’t hit us,’ and they started to surround me,” Cerfalo said to WFTX-TV. “He touched me and I lifted my hand out, and I ended up hitting him. It was not my intention to hit anybody that hard; it was not my intention to knock teeth out or do harm, or cause any kind of trouble.”
Villatte admits that he walked over to Cerfalo but only after he heard him yelling and using racial slurs. Villatte said he didn't touch Cerfalo and never stepped foot on his property . At the time of the attack, Villatte said he felt his teeth dangling and was shocked at what happened. His mother is outraged that police are not charging Cerfalo after the altercation.
A photo of Villate's injuries, which include missing front teeth and a severe gash that required stitches, started to circulate on social media – encouraging the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying the case will be handed over to the state attorney's office.
"The investigation of the incident included statements of multiple witnesses, many of whom were present and have varying levels of involvement in the altercation. The deputies on scene determined one of the juveniles involved was responsible for the altercation. Due to conflicting witness statements, it was determined the best course of action was to send the complete report to the State Attorney's Office for review. The reporting deputy further requested the State Attorney approve a summons request for one of the juveniles on a charge of assault.
"I am certain the deputies on scene investigated this incident in good faith the night it occurred. My goal as your Sheriff is that the community shares the same certainty. As such, I have directed members of our Investigations Division to review the evidence and statements obtained in this case and to work with the State Attorney’s Office directly to examine all aspects of the incident. As such, they will evaluate any additional applicable charges against the individuals involved."
Read more at WFTX-TV.
