The GBI says it's investigating a fight that led to serious injuries involving teens at the Regional Youth Detention Center in Macon.
Nicole Butler talked with one of the teens lawyers and GBI Special Agent in Charge, J.T Ricketson, to find out more about the case.
Ricketson said the fight broke out between two juvenile inmates at the Regional Youth Detention Center in Macon on March 25th.
"As a result of this fight, one of the inmates was injured seriously enough that they were hospitalized," Ricketson says.
Columbus lawyer Derrell Dowdell is representing the family of the victim, Lariel Brown.
(Courtesy of Omega Brown Media)
According to a news release from Dowdell, Brown was violently attacked by a group and was left for dead at the RYDC.
"Immediately, 911 was called after the fight, and so I know he was taken directly to the hospital for his treatment,' Ricketson says.
Dowdell says Brown suffered seizures before being beaten into a coma that lasted five days, and the family is demanding answers on how this attack happened with RYDC officers present.
Ricketson said the Department of Juvenile Justice looked into the fight and waited two days before contacting the GBI and asking them to take over. Because it was days later, he says the GBI didn't have a crime scene to work with.
"We sent three agents up there to conduct interviews and what we found out was the fight actually occurred in what's called a common area, so we conducted over 20 interviews and we also were able to get video footage because they have cameras inside of there, so it actually captured the fight," Ricketson says.
He says since they are dealing with juveniles, they can't just arrest someone. Instead, they had to file a complaint form which will be handled through juvenile court.
Ricketson says they have probable cause to get a complaint form for aggravated assault.
He says they've turned all of the information they have gathered to the District Attorney David Cooke, who will decide what type of charges will be brought against the juvenile who started the fight.