High School Football Player Beaten, 3 Friends Arrested

Three teens have been arrested and charged with attacking a 16-year-old high school football player. The young athlete, Cole Hagan, was at a house party on Dec. 3 when three other kids he knew told him to come outside because his truck had been hit, CBS Austin reports. Cole’s brother Cory says once outside, Cole was attacked by a kid he thought was his friend, KHOU 11 reports. Cole suffered a brain bleed, two skull fractures, and broken collarbone. “When he got to the hospital we didn’t know if he was going to make it,” Cory said. Days later, three of Cole’s teammates on the Brazoswood High School football team are facing charges, and his family is offering a $25,000 reward pulled together with donations from the community for video of the attack, People reports.

One of the kids, a 17-year-old, is accused of punching Cole so hard in the face he fell onto the concrete. He was charged with aggravated assault. Two other teens were present, and appear to have participated in the attack. Both—another 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old—also face aggravated assault charges. Cole spent time in the ICU, but was taken off his ventilator on Monday and is breathing on his own. He also took a few steps on his own, his older brother Cory wrote in a Facebook post. (More assault stories.)