Local
Arrest Report: Jacksonville Beach Halloween Attack Suspects Discussed Calling 911, Stayed Silent When Officer Approached
Newly released court documents show that members of a group accused in a Halloween night beating near Jacksonville Beach's bar district discussed calling police but said nothing when an officer approached their car minutes later. Four teenagers, including 18-year-old Koehn Meazzo, were arrested Nov. 5 in the attack that left a 22-year-old woman with a fractured nose and concussion.
JACKSONVILLE BEACH â Members of a group accused of beating a 22-year-old woman unconscious near the Jacksonville Beach bar district on Halloween night discussed whether to call 911 but stayed silent when a police officer approached their vehicle minutes after the attack, according to a less-redacted arrest report released this week.
Four teenagers, including 18-year-old Koehn Meazzo, were arrested Nov. 5 in connection with the assault, which occurred in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 near Beach Boulevard and 2nd Street. Meazzo is the only adult among the four; the other three suspects are juveniles.
According to the report, the group had been walking up and down the 3rd Street bar district when they encountered the victim and began mocking her. The woman turned around and confronted one member of the group, and a violent altercation followed.
Investigators say Meazzo admitted in an interview with detectives that he kicked the woman in the leg â not to defend himself, but specifically to trip her so a friend could get on top of her. He also admitted to removing her shoes and throwing her cellphone to the ground, telling investigators he was upset that his friend was being attacked, according to the report.
Meazzo described another member of the group punching the woman and knocking her unconscious, and told detectives that a member of the group stomped on her stomach.
The report also reveals that members of the group, including Meazzo, were sitting inside a vehicle near the scene when a police officer approached and asked whether they had seen a white male in a long-sleeved green shirt. Meazzo said the officer told the group a woman had been severely beaten. Meazzo told investigators he assumed the officer was asking about a separate incident and acknowledged he said nothing about the attack. The group had discussed whether they should call police, according to the report, but did not.
The investigation gained traction through a conversation Meazzo did not know was being recorded. A former girlfriend recorded him describing the attack in detail to a witness, according to the report. That recording reached a school resource officer at Fletcher High School, who contacted the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. Detectives responded to the school and began interviewing witnesses, then tracked Meazzo to a wing restaurant on Beach Boulevard, where he agreed to speak with investigators after being read his Miranda rights.
The victim sustained a fractured nose, a concussion and severe bruising to her face. She told investigators she was experiencing dizziness, nausea, lightheadedness, and pain in her head and neck.
Meazzo is scheduled to appear in Circuit Court. The three juvenile suspects are scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court.