Cape Coral teen works to replace basketball hoop dragged away by taekwondo school bus
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
A 13-year-old Cape Coral basketball player is saving money to replace his basketball hoop after it went missing Wednesday when a private bus damaged it and dragged it down the street.
“I got sad and started looking around the neighborhood,” said Elio Camejo, who discovered the hoop was gone when he returned home.
Camejo said he often plays basketball with friends to train and improve his skills.
“I play here with my friends every day to train and get better, and I felt really bad that it wasn’t there anymore,” he said.
Video first shared on Thursday showed a private bus dragging Camejo’s hoop from one end of the street to the other on Southeast 6th Avenue and Southeast 46th Lane.
The owner of Black Belt Taekwondo in Cape Coral confirmed off-camera that it was their bus, which had no children inside at the time.
However, initial concerns from drivers and parents were mistakenly directed at a different business. David Torres, owner of United Martial Arts in Fort Myers, explained the confusion.
“Once I identified that the problem was in Cape Coral, then I realized that it was one of the buses that did not belong to us,” Torres said.
Torres said the bus, which still partially displayed United Martial Arts branding and colors, had been sold to Black Belt Taekwondo. Following the backlash, Black Belt Taekwondo’s owner informed Torres that they are now repainting the bus.
Gulf Coast News captured the moments a bus was being painted white behind Black Belt Taekwondo in Cape Coral.
“When you’re driving a big bus like that, you always have to be aware of what’s going on in the bus and outside the bus and around the bus,” Torres said.
In the meantime, Camejo is working to save money for a new basketball hoop.
“I’m working harder. I’m trying to help several neighbors with jobs to see if I can save up some money to buy myself a new basketball hoop,” he said.
Black Belt Taekwondo’s owner said he plans to contact Camejo and his family after being asked if he would be able to assist.
Count on Gulf Coast News to keep you updated if Camejo gets a new basketball hoop.
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