Las Vegas, NV (AP) - School officials in Las Vegas said Tuesday they are investigating an attack by a high school student on a classmate that spurred outrage when cellphone video was briefly posted on social media.
Clark County school officials asked people not to circulate the images and district police Sgt. Bryan Zink said the female student identified as the attacker in the Feb. 2 incident at Las Vegas High School was cited on a misdemeanor battery charge.
Zink said charges could be upgraded or added after investigators review medical records received Monday from the family of the female student who was struck. Names of the students have not been made public.
Video posted to Twitter last week but quickly deleted showed a female student at a desk approached from behind by another girl who delivers as many as 35 punches to the back and side of the seated girl’s head during an 18-second span. At one point, giggling can be heard in the background.
Zink said it was not clear what sparked the incident or who posted the video, which was recorded across an apparently adjacent desktop.
The arms of a female teacher are shown as she initially attempts to intervene, tells the aggressor to stop and, a few seconds later, calls out for help.
“A teacher is not trained or expected to dive in and stop fights,” the school police officer said.
By the time the aggressor stopped the pummeling, the girl who was struck had her head on the desk and no longer tried to fend off blows with her hands.
Zink said the girl was checked by medical personnel who cleared her to be sent with her mother to seek medical attention.
District administrators issued statements Friday and during the weekend discouraging distribution of the video, saying that officials were taking the incident seriously and pointing to “administrative disciplinary action at school or ... possible criminal prosecution depending on the severity of the matter.”
“We strongly encourage students and members of the community not to share footage of this incident or any other student fights,” the district said. “Showing this video serves no purpose other than to further ridicule and embarrass the victim and embolden bullies.”
The district said students who capture photos or video of an assault “on-campus, off-campus, on a bus or during a school activity” should turn the footage over to a teacher, school administrator or police.
“Violent acts, assaults, and bullying will not be tolerated in the Clark County School District, and those who choose to engage in these activities will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Superintendent Jesus Jara said.