A Boca Raton man caught on camera confronting a 13-year-old riding an electric bike inside the gated Lotus community is now facing four misdemeanor charges, according to court records. What started as a single notice of battery has been expanded to two counts of battery, plus petit theft and criminal mischief.
What the video shows
Video obtained by CBS12 from the boy’s parents, along with footage first published by local outlets, shows a man identified as Mitchell Schuman riding behind the teen on a bicycle, reaching for the boy’s phone and, in one clip, tossing a water bottle that struck him, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report. In the footage, the child repeatedly asks for his phone back while several adults surround him.
How the story unfolded online and locally
As first reported by BocaNewsNow, the clips rocketed across social media and around the neighborhood, prompting both residents and deputies to dissect the videos frame by frame. BocaNewsNow notes that other adults appear to restrain the boy in the footage and that investigators are still working to identify everyone who was present.
Charges and legal context
Court records reviewed by CBS12 list two counts of battery, petit theft and criminal mischief against Schuman. His attorney told reporters that Schuman believed he was dealing with a safety issue, that he sought medical treatment days later for a knee sprain and contusions, and that the “widely shared video clips are misleading and lack full context.” Legal analysts told the outlet that prosecutors can still add or drop charges as the investigation develops, and that if all counts resulted in consecutive sentences, the combined penalties could exceed three years.
Detectives have been assigned to keep reviewing video and witness statements, and the State Attorney’s Office is not commenting on charging decisions while the case is pending, BocaNewsNow reports. Schuman was issued a notice to appear instead of being taken into custody, and the case is now winding its way through the Palm Beach County court system as filings are finalized…