A Virginia highschool observe runner who was seen hitting her opponent in the back of the head with a baton final week now faces a misdemeanour cost of assault and battery.
The incident passed off when Brookville Excessive College junior Kaelen Tucker was competing within the 4×200-metre relay at a observe meet at Liberty College in Lynchburg on March 4.
A video of the incident shared on Fb exhibits Tucker grabbing a steel baton from her teammate and taking off. As she begins to overhaul one other runner, Alaila Everett of IC Norcom Excessive College seems to boost her personal baton and hit Tucker throughout the top with it, the video exhibits.
Bethany Harrison, the commonwealth’s lawyer for town of Lynchburg, confirmed to ABC News that the cost of assault and battery was issued in opposition to Everett.
Following the incident, Tucker was assessed by a doctor and told she had a concussion and a potential cranium fracture.
Everett spoke out following the incident, telling outlet WAVY TV 10 that she didn’t imply to hit Tucker and struck her by accident as a result of shedding her steadiness.
“I can admit from the video that it does look purposeful, however I do know my intention is that I might by no means hit anyone on function,” she told the outlet.
Everett claims that individuals are judging the incident “off one angle” of the video.
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“After a pair occasions of hitting her, my baton received caught behind her again like this,” Everett mentioned, making an upwards gesture. “And it rolled up her again. I misplaced my steadiness and once I pumped my arms once more, she received hit.”
Everett revealed that she’s obtained quite a lot of hate on social media because the video of the incident unfold on-line.
“I’ve by no means been in a struggle, I’ve all the time been on honour roll, I by no means get calls house. So simply folks making, off a nine-second video, they’re assuming my character, calling me ‘ghetto,’ racist slurs, loss of life threats, all of this due to a nine-second video,” she mentioned.
The Portsmouth NAACP said it’s reviewing the incident and the “racial slurs and loss of life threats” towards Everett and her household.
“We’re dedicated collectively to making sure that the prison justice system, which we really feel shouldn’t be warranted on this scenario, is executed pretty and based mostly on due course of,” the group mentioned in an announcement on Wednesday.
“Alaila is NOT AN ATTACKER and media headlines that allude in the direction of that in any method is shameful,” the Portsmouth NAACP mentioned. “We perceive the sensitivity of the circumstances for each athletes and their households concerned however this narrative should not go unaddressed.
“Alaila is an honor pupil and a star athlete on the historic I.C. Norcom Excessive College. From all accounts, she is an distinctive younger chief and scholar whose athletic expertise has been effectively documented and acknowledged throughout our state. She has carried herself with integrity each on and off the sphere and any narrative that adjudicates her responsible of any prison exercise is a violation of her due course of rights.”
On Monday, the Tucker family said they reached out to the Virginia Excessive College League (VHSL) and mentioned they have been advised there was an investigation underway and each excessive faculties have been co-operating.
The VHSL additionally issued an announcement with regard to the incident.
“The VHSL doesn’t touch upon people or disciplinary actions as a result of FERPA,” the league mentioned. “The actions taken by the meet director to disqualify the runner have been acceptable and proper. We totally overview each occasion like this that entails participant security with the taking part faculties. The VHSL membership has all the time made it a precedence to supply student-athletes with a secure surroundings for competitors.”
When Tucker’s household was asked earlier this week if they planned to press criminal charges, Tucker’s mom, Tamarrow, mentioned, “After all, everyone offers their opinion on what they assume it is best to do, however that’s additionally anyone else’s little one. I need to take that under consideration as effectively. Sure, she undoubtedly struck my daughter greater than as soon as, however she is anyone else’s little one as effectively.”
Everett’s household revealed that they have been served with court docket papers as a result of the Tuckers desire a protecting order.
“It doesn’t appear proper that this may occur and now we have now to go to a metropolis three hours away that everybody hates our guts already,” Everett’s father, Genoa, mentioned.
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