(VIDEO) Boy Burned By Bullies: 5 Teens Arrested In Set Michael Brewer On Fire

Michael Brewer, 15, shown in photo, was burned on more than three-quarters of his body when a group of assailants doused him with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Authorities said the attack was an act of retaliation in a squabble between Brewer and another boy. Five teenagers have been charged.

Michael Brewer was burned on 80% of his body after assailants doused him with rubbing alcohol and lit him on fire. Authorities say the attack resulted from a squabble between Brewer and another boy.

The teenage squabble involved a video game and a bicycle. It blossomed into revenge during a chance encounter and ended in the near-fatal torching of a 15-year-old boy, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

Some of the teens charged in the attack laughed when investigators confronted them, the sheriff’s office said.

Four 15-year-old boys and one 13-year-old accosted Michael Brewer of Deerfield Beach, Fla., accusing him of being a snitch for calling the cops on their leader, whom the sheriff’s office identified as the local bully.

Brewer tried to leave, but the gang doused him with alcohol and set him on fire, authorities said. Flames burned 80% of his body, especially his torso and arms, and seared off much of his hair, including his eyebrows, family members said.

According to investigators, Matthew Bent, 15, whom they identified as the organizer of the attack, shouted, “Pour it on him!” as other splashed the victim with alcohol.

Brewer tore off his shirt and jumped into an apartment complex pool. He later was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s burn center, where he is listed in critical condition with mostly second-degree burns, officials said.

“This is just an incredibly cruel thing, that anybody could have possibly done this to another human being,” said Dr. Nicholas Namias, director of the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Burn Center.

Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti called it a case of retaliation. According to Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Feeley, the feud started when Brewer borrowed $40 from Bent to buy a video game, and never paid him back. In return, Bent on Sunday night tried to steal Brewer’s father’s bicycle, a custom, $500 model, authorities say. Brewer called police, and Bent was arrested as he tried to leave with the bike.

Bent was released from the juvenile center Monday morning and didn’t go to school that day. Brewer also stayed home, fearing an encounter with Bent.

Brewer, a seventh-grader, has been kept back at least two grades, family members said.

About 3 p.m., authorities say, Bent met up with four friends: brothers Denver and Jeremy Jarvis, 15 and 13 respectively; Steven Shelton, 15; and Jesus Mendez, 15.

The boys found a bottle of rubbing alcohol, police said, and entered the Lime Tree Apartments, where they ran into Brewer.

Brewer tried to walk away, but the group surrounded him, called him a snitch and doused him with alcohol, deputies said.

Then, deputies said, Mendez took a lighter from his pocket and flicked it at the drenched teen. Brewer and a nearby bush caught fire instantly. Covered in flames, Brewer ran 150 yards to the pool and jumped in. When a rescue team arrived, he was sitting in a pool chair.

“This is one of the most heinous crimes I’ve ever seen,” Lamberti said.

Nearby teens who witnessed the attack reported it to police.

“The kids from the neighborhood, they were scared of this kid Bent,” Lamberti said.

Bent and the Jarvis brothers were arrested Monday night. Bent and Denver Jarvis laughed under questioning, Feeley said. Only Mendez, arrested along with Shelton on Tuesday, showed remorse, the deputy said.

All were charged with aggravated battery. Mendez also faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder. If Brewer dies, all five could face murder charges, Lamberti said. All have previous juvenile records, which are sealed.

On Tuesday, Bent and the Jarvis brothers appeared before Circuit Judge Elijah Williams. They were each ordered held in a juvenile detention center for 21 days and will not be allowed to speak to one another, Williams said. They were also ordered not to contact Brewer.

Lawyers for the younger Jarvis brother and for Bent said their clients were “minimally involved” in the attack.

Attorney Stephen Melnick said Jeremy Jarvis was “just there. He was not accused of actually doing it.”

Attorney Gordon Weekes, representing Bent, said his client “understands the gravity of the charges.”

Namias, the burn center director, said people have survived burns as severe as Brewer’s, but only after slow and excruciatingly painful treatment. The teen has been sedated while doctors tend to his burns.

“This is just the beginning, if all goes well, of many months in the ICU and the hospital, many operations of skin grafting, many sessions of occupational therapy,” he said. “This is a life-changing event for this young man.”

Michael Brewer’s family has set up a foundation with Bank of America for anyone who wants to help with medical expenses. The foundation’s account number is 898035752616 and funds can be deposited at any Bank of America.

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