DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy was slashed in an attack at the Daytona Beach boardwalk. The suspect, Jermaine Long, was ordered by a judge to remain in jail ahead of his trial.
News 6 was first to uncover that this was not Long’s first violent act that day. Police had already dealt with him twice before, releasing him both times, only for him to be accused of striking again.
The teen’s family is now pushing for accountability from officers involved in the case. They spoke with News 6 immediately after the slashing and again Thursday, demanding answers.
“I don’t understand how all of these violent offenses could happen in one day and he is free to come after our child,” said Lori Clarke, whose 13-year-old son was attacked while the family walked the boardwalk on Saturday.
“This behavior was not unpredictable. This was a pattern of escalated violence,” Clarke added.
Daytona Beach police said they are conducting an internal review of how the situation was handled.
News 6 Volusia County Community Correspondent Molly Reed began pushing for answers Wednesday after learning that Jermaine Long had been involved in a previous attack that day but was not arrested.
“I don’t know the ins and outs at this point, but it’s being looked at,” said Director of Operations Bill Rhodes.
[BELOW: Man accused of slashing 13-year-old had violent incident earlier that day in Daytona Beach]
News 6 found that officers had three run-ins with Long on Saturday.
First, he was trespassed from a property. Then, after being accused of hitting a man with a sledgehammer, police trespassed him again but did not arrest him. Finally, they arrested him, charging him with slashing the 13-year-old’s throat.
Police responded Thursday with a statement saying that at the time of the sledgehammer incident, the victim did not fully cooperate, and there was not enough evidence to press charges.
The report from that day showed the victim was interviewed and Long was found with a sledgehammer.
[BELOW: 13-year-old boy attacked near the Slingshot ride in Daytona Beach speaks to News 6]
After reviewing the case again, police say they found enough evidence to press charges.
Police said they will not release more details until the internal review is complete.
Jermaine Long is pleading not guilty to both violent acts that occurred Saturday.