Student Athlete Arrested After Beating a Deaf Teen Classmate

MILLSAP, TX – A teenager at Millsap High School was arrested on Thursday after police say he beat a fellow student during a sleepover.

According to the Parker County Sheriff's Office, on Oct. 7, deputies with the PCSO arrested Austin Gonzalez, 17, for assault causing bodily injury.

The arrest came after a fight that occurred during a sleep over a few weeks prior. Prior to the sleepover, Gonzales and several other teens allegedly lured a fellow classmate who was deaf.

When the lights went out, the group of teens began messing with the 17-year-old victim who was asleep on the floor in a sleeping bag. The PCSO stated that witnesses told them that the group shined a light in the boy's face, jumped on him to wake him up, and slapped his face several times.

The victim attempted to get Gonzalez to stop, but he would not, so the boy threw a punch at Gonzalez. Things then escalated and a fight ensued. During the brawl the victim charged at Gonzalez, who slammed him on the ground and punched him multiple times in the face.

The victim was left with multiple bruises to his face and visible eye damage that needed medical attention.

 The parents of the victim told a Dallas news station that the main concern for the fight was their child's disability of being deaf. Especially since at nights he removes the processor for his hearing aids leaving him virtually deaf.

"This boy was picked out of a room to be assaulted and bullied,” said the Boy's Father to the news station. "Beat him to the point where his eye is swollen, his nose has been lodged to the side, his lip was busted."

The family claims, that even though criminal charges were placed on one child, they will be seeking civil charges against the others involved.