A high school student has been charged after allegedly beating a school employee after she took his Nintendo Switch during class.
“Am I going to jail?” asked the Matanzas High School student in an arrest video shared Wednesday by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
“Yes, you are,” said an officer in response.
According to authorities, FCSO school resource deputies assigned to the school “were alerted to a paraprofessional employee being physically attacked on campus, Tuesday. They found the female employee “on the ground with severe injuries after an unprovoked attack by a male student.”
“The term ‘paraprofessional’ means an individual who is employed in a preschool, elementary school, or secondary school under the supervision of a certified or licensed teacher, including individuals employed in language instruction educational programs, special education, and migrant education,” according to U.S. Code cited by Cornell Law School.
Police identified the alleged offender as a 17-year-old. They said he was escorted from the area where the incident happened, placed in police custody and transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility before being turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
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In a Facebook comment, the sheriff’s office said “regarding debates about the student’s ESE status: Flagler Schools is legally unable to comment on a student’s status due to FERPA. As such, FCSO is unable to address questions regarding this subject.”
ESE, or Exceptional Student Education, is a Florida Department of Education program for “children with disabilities who need specially designed instruction.”
Video shared by the sheriff’s office along with a statement about the arrest shows a Black male being handcuffed and lead out of a classroom area. Police said that he stated that he was upset because the victim took his Nintendo Switch, a portable gaming device, away during class.
“On surveillance footage from within the school, the student who is approximately 6’6” and 270 pounds, is shown walking fast toward the victim and pushing the victim several feet, knocking her to the school floor, which knocked her unconscious,” said the sheriff’s office. “The student is then shown kicking and punching the unconscious victim several times in the back and head. Others rushed in to help the victim who was unconscious during the entire assault and unable to protect herself. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the student has been charged with Felony Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm.
“The actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim’s aid before the SRDs could arrive. Our schools should be a safe place – for both employees and students.”
The student can be heard asking “for how long?” in the video after an officer confirms that the student is going to jail. The officer said he didn’t know.
“I don’t make that determination,” he said. Later, the officer asked the student if he was going to be “cool” with him and another deputy at the scene.
“F*** you, I don’t want to go to jail,” said the teen. “I have more important places to be.”
He also said “stop manhandling me” to which the officers replied that they were not manhandling him.
“Creating a safe learning and working environment on our campuses is critical. Violence is never an appropriate reaction,” said Flagler Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt.
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