DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A feud over a video game prompted five middle school boys to douse a 15-year-old with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire, police in Florida say.
Michael Brewer of Deerfield Beach was hospitalized in critical condition with burns over 80 percent of his body, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Wednesday.
Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti says the attack on Brewer was "a case of retaliation."
The feud allegedly started when Brewer borrowed money from Matthew Bent, 15, to buy a video game and never repaid him. When Bent allegedly tried to steal a custom bike belonging to Brewer's father, Brewer called police and Bent was arrested.
Brewer then was set ablaze at his Deerfield Beach apartment complex Monday night, and Bent and four friends were charged with aggravated battery afterward.
The boy accused of lighting the fire, Jesus Mendez, 15, is also charged with second-degree attempted murder, The Miami Herald reports.
